Five passengers of a river cruise liner known as the Prinzessin Isabella were injured over the weekend when the vessel was involved in a collision with a cargo ship.
The incident occurred on the Danube river early on Saturday, between Romania's Tulcea and Izmail in the Odessa region of Ukraine. The Prinzessin Isabella set off from Vienna on September 29 and was carrying 165 people at the time of the crash, tracking data shows.
The riverboat, heading downstream, collided with a large cargo ship operating under the flag of Panama, known as the Blue Star 1, which had been traveling upstream from Piraeus in Greece to Galați.
Two passengers were later taken to hospital by the Tulcea Ambulance Service in Romania, according to Vessel Tracker, which provides real-time analysis of ships as they move around the world.
It noted: "The cruise ship suffered severe damage in the superstructure area at starboard side, where a number of cabins on the upper passenger deck were torn open and crushed." Damage to the cruise ship was captured and uploaded to YouTube.
The exact nature of the victims' injuries was unclear. Maritime Bulletin, a website dedicated to shipping news, reported they were not believed to be life-threatening. It also remains unclear if the cargo ship was damaged in the early-morning collision, as well as which party was to blame.
"The ambulance service of Tulcea removed two people from the liner and sent them to the hospital, and the ship with 165 passengers on board continued on its way to the nearest port along the route," an EMS spokesperson told Polish media outlet Fakty.
According to Vessel Tracker data, the cruise ship, managed by German tour operator Phoenix Reisen, arrived in Tulcea at 7:50 a.m. on Saturday. It left the city at 8:30 p.m. the same day and is currently scheduled to arrive at its destination, Passau in Germany, on Thursday.
The Blue Star 1 cargo ship also continued on its journey to Galați after checks were completed. The Romanian police reportedly launched an investigation into the crash. News website TL News reported the incident did not result in environmental pollution or river blockages.
According to its website, passengers of the Prinzessin Isabella can expect a "classic river cruise in a tasteful ambiance, with comfortable cabins and fine dining." The ship has four passenger decks and holds up to 170 people.
In June this year, multiple bodies were recovered after a tourist boat called The Mermaid sank on the Danube river following a collision with a cruise ship, known as the Viking Sigyn.
The crash occurred as the two vessels were passing under the Margaret Bridge in Hungary at about 9 p.m. local time, the BBC reported. Seven people out of 35 were initially rescued. Law enforcement sources told news outlets the boat disappeared under water within seconds.
