SEATTLE, Sept. 27 (UPI) — National Transportation Safety Board investigators are focusing on the front axle of an amphibious duck boat involved in a crash that left four college students dead.
NTSB board member Earl Weener said the front left axle was “sheared off,” but said it is unclear if it contributed to the incident. He said it was too early to determine the cause of the incident.
Four North Seattle College students were killed Thursday and dozens of other people were injured when the amphibious tour bus, operated by Ride the Ducks, collided with a charter bus on Aurora Bridge. Fifteen patients remain at Harborview Medical Center, five are in critical condition and 10 are stable.
Weener said the World War II-era vehicle had been refurbished in 2005 with a new chassis and engine. Investigators said the wheels may have locked, but it is “way too early to say anything about probable cause,” Weener said.
The victims have been identified as Claudia Derschmidt, 49, of Austria; Privando Putradanto, 18, of Indonesia; Mami Sato, 36, from Japan; and Runjie Song, 17, possibly from China.
School President Dr. Warren Brown said Thursday’s events were “absolutely devastating.” The school has an enrollment of nearly 7,000 students, with more than 1,000 international students from more than 50 countries.
