A catamaran ferry packed with 343 commuters from Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, slammed into a dock at Pier 11 in lower Manhattan around 8:45 a.m. this morning, injuring as many as 57 people. The AP reports that “[s]ome patients were carried out strapped to flat-board stretchers, their heads and necks immobilized,” with at least one victim in “critical condition.” A prominent hole could be seen in the front of the boat, known as the Seastreak Wall Street.
As of now, the reason for the crash is unclear. Seastreak president James Barker tells NBC New York that the ferry “struck a loading barge that it was passing while trying to dock,” although another passenger told NBC New York that the ferry felt like it crashed “full speed right into the pier.”
“I was on the ferry,” another passenger wrote on Facebook. “Flew 10 feet. It was awful. Knee is messed up. Heading to hospital. So many worse. Send prayers.”
This post has been updated throughout with additional information.
