BBC News: The New York passenger ferry 'Seastreak Wall Street' has hit a berth during the Manhattan rush hour, injuring 57 people and tearing a hole in the vessel's bow.
Eleven people have been seriously injured, the Associated Press reports.
The 43 metre ferry hit the mooring as it docked about 08:45 (13:45 GMT) after a trip from New Jersey.
The vessel, which was carrying about 340 passengers and five crew members, was able to dock and witnesses say people rushed to disembark.
Of the 57 people injured, two were in a critical condition and 29 had minor injuries, New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan told reporters.
She said the crafthad struck the dock at about 10-12 knots (11.5mph – 13.8mph; 18.5km/h – 22.2km/h).
The most seriously injured passenger suffered a severe head wound by falling down a stairwell.
Pier 11 in Lower Manhattan has not closed as a result of the collision, avoiding a major disruption to water traffic.
A woman who witnessed the crash from the dock told CBS News the vessel did not appear to have been coming in at high speed, but said "it was a very hard hit".
"It had pulled in – starting to pull in – and what it did was it hit the right side of the boat on the dock hard, like a bomb," Dee Wertz told the television station.
Vessel overhaul
In a statement, the ferry company said it would work with investigators to determine the cause of the accident.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with those that were injured," the firm said.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has visited the scene of the crash, along with senior police, fire and emergency management officials. Police said the boat's crew passed alcohol breath tests given after the crash.
The cause of the accident was under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The ferry, built in 2003, had recently undergone a major overhaul that gave it new engines and a new propulsion system, but officials said it was too soon to tell whether the upgrades had played any role in the crash.
Manhattan, an island, is served by several commuter ferry lines, the largest of which brings passengers from the Staten Island borough.
Source: BBC News
Image Source: Martin Ottaway,
