Status: 10/21/2022 2:13 p.m
A ferry and a water taxi collided in the Wadden Sea off the Dutch island of Terschelling in the morning. At least two people died and two more are missing. The cause of the accident is still unclear.
At least two people have died when a water taxi collided with a ferry off the Dutch coast. Two other people, one of them a child, are still missing, according to the coast guard in Harlingen. However, there is no hope that the two missing persons can be recovered alive.
The Dutch sea rescue service was quickly on the spot with several boats to rescue people and search for the missing. But around noon the search had to be stopped. According to the Coast Guard, the current in the area is so strong that people are carried away very quickly.
Passengers disembark the ferry “Tiger” in the port of Harlingen in the Netherlands.
Image: EPA
Both ships were obviously going very fast
Initially, the Coast Guard assumed only one missing person, a 12-year-old boy. Later, the water taxi captain announced that one more person was missing. Four people were taken to hospitals – some seriously injured.
In the morning at around 7.15 a.m., the “Stormloper” water taxi with eight people on board crashed into the “Tiger” fast ferry off the Wadden Sea island of Terschelling. The accident happened a few hundred meters off the island in a fairway in shallow water. What exactly was the cause is still unclear. There was neither storm nor fog. However, witnesses reported on the radio that both ships had traveled very quickly.
Water taxi sank, ferry continued
According to information from the Coast Guard, the water taxi was badly damaged and sank. The sea rescuers were deployed with several boats and were able to rescue six people, including the captain. Two more people were resuscitated – but in vain, it said. They succumbed to their injuries, the Coast Guard said.
The high-speed ferry “Tiger” was on its way to Harlingen on the mainland in the north of the country with around 27 people on board. Although she was severely damaged by the impact, she was able to continue her journey to Harlingen on her own. According to the emergency services, all people were able to leave the ferry unharmed. The water taxi has since been recovered and towed ashore. Experts are now examining the ships.