12 killed, over 20 injured in New York ferry accident

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, October 16, 2003

12 killed, over 20 injured in New York ferry accident

At least 12 persons were killed and more than 20 were injured when a Staten Island-bound ferry slammed into the dock in one of the terminals on Wednesday afternoon.

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At least 12 persons were killed and more than 20 were injured when a Staten Island-bound ferry slammed into the dock in one of the terminals on Wednesday afternoon.

According to officials of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY),a ferry returning from Manhattan either crashed into the ferry slip in Staten Island, or collided with another boat, while it tried to dock. The cause of the accident remained unknown.

Coast guard and FDNY emergency crews were seen on the scene, and there were reports that some passengers and dock workers were rescued from the water.

The city's Department of Transportation confirmed the accident,but could provide no further information. Ferry service has been suspended.

Eyewitnesses said the three-level ferry struck the wooden pilings that lead into the slip on its right side, causing a tear in the hull of the ship's lowest level.

One passenger told local television that he was sitting on the lower level on the left hand side when the ship suddenly hit the pilings on the right hand side. "The whole side of the boat lookedlike a can opener opened. If I had been sitting on the right side of the boat, I'd have been dead. You could see some people were not going to make it."

The Staten Island ferry carries 70,000 people per day between the Island and Manhattan

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