JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Attorney General Josh Hawley is suing the owners and operators of a tourist boat that sank in Missouri, killing 17 people.

Hawley filed the lawsuit Friday. He alleges that the owners and operators of the Ride the Ducks tours put profits above people’s safety. His office is suing under the state’s consumer-protection law.

The accident occurred July 19 at Table Rock Lake near Branson. The amphibious duck boat sank amid strong winds, killing 16 passengers and a crew member.

A spokeswoman for Ripley Entertainment, which owns Ride the Ducks, did not immediately comment Friday.

Three federal lawsuits have also been filed in the Western District of Missouri against the duck boat operators.