Bulgarian river cruise ship collides with lock on Danube river, 17 passengers injured

A Bulgarian river cruise ship met with a mishap on Saturday (Mar 30) on the Danube river in Austria when it collided with a lock. Seventeen passengers aboard the vessel sustained injuries due to the incident.

According to reports, the vessel lost steering control and collided with the sides of a lock. A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water and are constructed to enable the passage of boats through sections with varying elevations.

Eleven of the injured individuals were transported to nearby hospitals. However, the severity of their injuries are yet to be determined, as per a police spokesperson, reported Reuters.

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Moreover, six others people sustained minor injuries.

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The incident occurred as the ship, carrying approximately 160 passengers, was en route from Bavaria, Germany to the Austrian city of Linz.

Most of the passengers aboard the ship were from Germany, a report said.

Notably, the vessel encountered difficulties while it was navigating through narrow locks around 9:45 pm on Friday (Mar 29). Later, there was a temporary loss of power to its electronic systems. Because of the situation, the ship was rendered unsteerable.

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By the time the power on the ship was restored, the vessel had already collided.

Incident near Aschach

It hit the concrete sides of the lock passage near Aschach.

Aschach, a few miles upstream from Linz, is a region located in the Lower Bavaria region of Germany and is situated along the Danube River, one of Europe's major rivers flowing through many countries and serving as an important transportation route for the region.

Fortunately, the vessel sustained only minor damages and was able to proceed to its next port.

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Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the electrical power failure, as per reports.

(With inputs from agencies)