By IANS,
Washington: At least 50 people were injured Wednesday when a ferry carrying hundreds of commuters from New Jersey crashed into a dock in Lower Manhattan, authorities said.
One person was in critical condition and being treated at a nearby hospital, CNN quoted police as saying.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, which occurred around 8.45 a.m.
Emergency crews carted several passengers on stretchers toward ambulances and there was a gash on the front of the vessel.
“There was a large jolt,” said one of the passengers Elizabeth Banta. “It felt like we were in a car crash … Several people were thrown into the air and onto the ground.”
According to witnesses, several passengers were waiting at the top of a staircase as the ferry approached the dock and they were flung off their feet when the crash occurred.
“I saw a lot of bleeding heads with white bandages (and) a lot of people strapped to boards,” said Julie Westfall, a witness.
The ferry provides daily service between New Jersey and Pier 11 near Wall Street and carries roughly 400 passengers at a time.