When two boats collide off the Dutch coast, several people fall overboard. Two die, one boy is still missing. An eyewitness reports great panic.
A ferry collided with a water taxi near the Wadden Sea island of Terschelling off the Dutch coast. Two people died and several people were injured, the emergency services said. A 12-year-old boy is still missing, a Coast Guard spokesman said on the radio. Several rescue teams are in action.
The accident happened a few hundred meters off the coast of Terschelling in the morning. According to the Coast Guard, there were seven people on board the water taxi. For an unknown reason, it collided with the high-speed ferry “Tiger” with about 27 people on board and capsized. The ferry was reportedly damaged, but according to the emergency services, no one was injured on board.
The Dutch Protal ad.nl quotes an eyewitness: “There is great panic. An accident can always happen, but it is rare for a ferry and a water taxi to collide.” Several people fell overboard, as reported by the Dutch media, according to rtl.de. The Coast Guard was able to pull six out of the water. The missing child is a 12-year-old girl.
According to the report, several ambulances are currently on site and lifeboats are on the water. However, the search is made more difficult by debris from the collision. Helicopters from Amsterdam are supporting the search. The “Tiger” ferry returned to Harlingen, and the sinking of the “Stormloper” water taxi was expected.