By: Savannah Smith | 12-27-2017 | News
Photo credit: Swiss Crystal Website

Swiss Cruise Ship Hits Rhine River Bridge in Germany; 25 People Injured

A tourist ship hit a road bridge on the Rhine in western Germany leaving dozens of people injured.

The ship named Swiss Chrystal had 129 people on board when it hit the pillar of the bridge near Duisburg. Police have confirmed that 25 people were injured, mostly sustaining minor wounds. Local reports say at least four victims of the said accident had to be brought to a hospital with serious injuries. German police have said, however, that no one suffered any life-threatening injuries.

An updated report says those four earlier said to have sustained serious injuries have since been allowed to leave the hospital.

Of the 129 people on board, 103 were passengers while 26 were crew members. The passengers are mainly from Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg. It is not clear if any Dutch citizens were hurt.

Firefighters had to help in the rescue operations. The collision caused a damage in the ship’s bow.

Swiss Chrystal was heading downstream on the last leg of its Rhine tour starting and ending in the Dutch city of Arnhem. It set off on December 22.

The shipping company, Swiss company Stylla, sent another ship to continue the journey. Uninjured passengers were able to continue their journey after an hour. Travel organizations also arranged hotels and transport for the passengers affected who would rather cut the ill-fated trip short and head home.

The bridge the ship collided with forms part of the A42 high way that remains closed following the accident. Experts are expected to test the strength of the bridge the following day.

The Swiss Chrystal was built in 1995 and underwent major renovations a decade ago, in 2007.

It is not yet known if the collision will be attributed to human error or mechanical fault. Investigations are still ongoing headed by the water police.

Source:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/tourist-ship-bridge-swiss-crystal-duisburg-river-rhine-germany-a8129931.html

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