17 Injured in Danube River Cruise Accident

 

On Friday, a Bulgarian-flagged river cruise ship hit a lock wall at the hydroelectric power plant in Aschach, Austria, injuring 17 people. 

The vessel was under way on a Danube cruise to Linz, Austria, with 142 people on board. During a transit of the locks at Aschach, it lost ability to maneuver due to a reported electronic system failure, and its starboard bow and port quarter both hit the lock walls. The officer on watch was able to immediately regain control by "pressing the emergency switch, whereupon the electronics started again," the federal police said in a statement. 

The officer brought the ship alongside the quay wall and called for assistance. Multiple first response agencies came to the scene, including the police, fire departments and Austria's water police. 11 people sustained slight injuries and were taken for medical care. Six others with minor injuries declined assistance.

The ship and the lock wall were both scraped, but there was no serious structural damage. Austrian maritime inspectors determined that "the electronics worked again after the emergency switch was reset," and the vessel was allowed to continue on its voyage to Linz.