57 injured in NY ferry crash, 2 critical

A victim of a commuter ferry crash is cared for by an FDNY EMT on the scene in New York, Jan 9, 2013.[Photo/Agencies]

NEW YORK - At least 57 people were injured, two critically, when a ferry crashed into a dock Wednesday morning in Lower Manhattan, New York City, local authorities told Xinhua.

The boat, Seastreak Wall Street, with 326 on board including five crew, departed from Highlands, New Jersey at 8:00 am and was scheduled to reach Pier 11 on the lower east coast of Manhattan 45 minutes. However, five minutes prior to docking, it " hit Slip D, then continued on and hit Slip B" at a speed of 10 to 12 knots, Janette Sadik-Khan, commissioner of the city's Department of Transportation, told Xinhua.

"Basically it was a hard landing," she said, refusing to comment on whether the speed was normal for a boat approaching the pier.

When the crash happened, a rescue team was sent there in a little over three minutes. "Nobody was in the water. Everybody was in the boat," New York City Fire Department Commissioner Salvatore Cassano told Xinhua.

Of the 57 wounded, two were critically injured on the head, nine in serious condition, 17 were guarded, and 29 got minor injuries, said Cassano. The seriously injured were sent to Manhattan hospitals for immediate medical treatment, while the rest were taken to Brooklyn hospitals.

The cause of this crash is still "under investigation," said Joseph Bruno, commissioner of the city's Office of Emergency Management. The extent of damage remained unknown at this moment.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with those that were injured," said a statement from Seastreak, the company who owns the ship that crashed into the pier. "Seastreak LLC will work closely with the Federal, State and local authorities to determine the cause of the accident."

The Seastreak Wall Street ferry entered into service in 2003. According to its official website, the 140.7-feet-long ship with three decks and a capacity of 505 passengers has a maximum speed of 42 knots.

The last time a ferry crashed like this was in 2010, when a boat from Lower Manhattan roared into a Staten Island ferry terminal and injured 37.