Boston Duck Tours: 'We Continuously Monitor The Weather Conditions'

BOSTON (CBS) - Boston Duck Tours says it closely watches for extreme weather conditions when operating duck boats, after a tragic duck boat accident during a thunderstorm in Branson, Missouri killed 17 people on Thursday night.

In a statement Friday, Boston Duck Tours said "We continuously monitor the weather conditions from our three locations."

"We do not allow our DUCKs to go into the Charles River if there is lightning in the area or if conditions are forecasted to exceed our operating parameters set by the US Coast Guard," the company said. "Our Certificates of Inspection (COI), issued the U.S. Coast Guard, state we may not operate if winds are over 25 knots or waves over one foot."

"At Boston Duck Tours, the safety of our guests and our employees is our number one priority and will continue to work closely with our partners at the US Coast Guard, Department of Public Utilities, Boston Hackney Division and Department of Transportation to ensure we maintain these safety standards."

Thursday night, 17 people, including children, died after a boat carrying tourists capsized and sank on a lake during a thunderstorm in Branson, Missouri, authorities in that state said Friday.

Meanwhile, the parents of a Boston woman killed by a duck boat near her Beacon Hill home in 2016 issued their own statement Friday, and offered support to the families of the victims of the duck boat tragedy in Missouri.

Allison Warmuth, 28, was killed after colliding with a Boston Duck Boat Tours vehicle while riding on a moped on Beacon and Charles Streets on April 30, 2016.

"Our hearts are broken in hearing of the Branson, Missouri Duckboat tragedy," her parents, Martha and Ivan Warmuth, said in a statement Friday. "These are difficult vehicles that require special operational care and attention to the safety of all whether on land or in water."

The Warmuths said they "continue to urge there be safety improvements in duck boat operations across the country and in Boston."

Boston Duck Boat Tours offered condolences to everyone touched by the Missouri tragedy.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of all those involved in yesterday's tragedy in Branson, MO," the company said.