Saint Laurent Cruise Ship Crashes In New York Injuring 22 People
A cruise ship crashed into a wall while entering a lock on the St. Lawrence Seaway in northern New York leaving 22 people injured — 19 passengers and three crew members.
The Associated Press reports that the U.S. Coast Guard said the 286-foot Saint Laurent was headed from Montreal to Toronto and hit a wall “Eisenhower Lock in Massena, near the Canadian border, shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday.”
#news Saint Laurent Cruise Ship Hits Lock Wall in New York http://t.co/p9Joosl7Yg pic.twitter.com/72iPmVvRJw
— RockCheetah (@RockCheetah) June 19, 2015
The cruise ship had a total of 273 people on board, which included 192 passengers and 81 crew members. Miami-based FleetPro, the ship’s operator, confirmed that 22 individuals suffered minor injuries and were taken to the Massena Memorial Hospital to receive treatment, and were later released.
Passengers aboard the #SaintLaurent being evacuated in #Massena after cruise ship hit lock wall. Four buses lined up. pic.twitter.com/3oDrcuj7Am
— Kelly Greig (@KellyGreig) June 19, 2015
Petty Officer 2nd Class Lauren Laughlin of the Coast Guard’s Cleveland-based Ninth District said that the ship ran into an approach wall bumper which left a hole in the ship’s hull, causing it to start to fill with water. They closed the lock’s doors so that the water would drain out, keeping the ship from sinking.
“When the ship hit the wall, it started taking on water,” Laughlin said, according to CBC News.
ICYMI: cruise ship Saint Laurent has been heavily damaged inside Eisenhower Lock. 17 ppl sent to hospital overnight. pic.twitter.com/f8wUiujIzK
— Michael Folsom (@theshipwatcher) June 19, 2015
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. said the ship is stable and the remaining uninjured passengers stayed on board overnight. On Friday, the passengers departed from the ship and were taken by bus back to Montreal.
BREAKING: The cruise ship Saint Laurent hit a lock in Massena (Eisenhower) & is taking on water. 4 people injured. pic.twitter.com/lScBzmWMEc
— Brian Dwyer (@Brian_TWCNews) June 19, 2015
It was previously reported by the Inquisitr that 27 passengers and three crew members had been injured. However, FleetPro revised that number in a news release issued Friday afternoon. The cause of the collision is still being investigated. The accident left 10 ships halted in the lock.
“At this stage we don’t expect that the lock will be reopening until, at earliest, sometime tomorrow,” Andrew Begora, an official with the St. Lawrence Seaway, said.
[Photo via Shutterstock]
