More than a dozen people were injured after a river cruise ship slammed into a lock wall while sailing along the Danube in the Austrian capital of Vienna. The Anna Katharina, which was carrying about 200 guests, suffered severe damage to its bow upon impact.
So what, exactly, happened? The ship hit a lock wall near the Freudenau power plant, injuring 14 people. Six of these, who were mostly German nationals, were taken to a nearby hospital but were able to be released a short time later. They were treated for minor injuries such as back and neck pain.
‘No One Was In Critical Condition’
“There were no seriously injured people, no one was in critical condition,” rescue services spokesperson Daniel Melcher told local media. Reports said the collision likely happened at near full speed.
The accident occured at around 4.30 am local time on Friday, which likely minimized the number of injuries. The ship suffered serious damage but the vessel managed to avoid taking on water. The bow section — where damage was most severe — houses the Panorama Terrace and Lounge but it is not thought any guests or crew were there at the time due to the early hour.
The Anna Katharina measures 135 meters and is owned by Germany based line Phoenix Reisen. The 2019-built ship operates sailings on the Danube, Rhine and Main rivers. It has a crew of about 40. The sailing departed Passau, Germany last weekend on a seven-night cruise through Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia.
Emergency personnel including police, firefighters and the Vienna Professional Rescue Service were on the scene quickly. All guests and ship crew were accounted for and were then transferred to another vessel to continue their journey.
Local authorities announced a full investigation is underway and the ship captain, a Polish national age 49, was scheduled to be interviewed. The cause of the crash has not been determined, although local media reported a “technical malfunction” is being considered as a possible reason.
