5 killed in Sydney boat collision
Five people were killed and nine were injured -- two seriously -- early Thursday when two boats collided in Sydney Harbour, police said. Authorities were investigating the crash and asked anyone with more information to contact police. The collision occurred about 2:40 a.m. (12:40 p.m. ET Wednesday), according to a statement issued by the New South Wales Police Department. Sydney Water Police responded to the crash, authorities said. Five people -- four females and a male in their late teens to early 20s -- were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Nine others -- an 18-year-old woman and eight males in their 20s -- were taken to the hospital. They were all believed to be aboard the smaller boat, said Michael Henry, a spokesman for New South Wales police. Everyone is believed to be accounted for, he said. All 14 were thrown into the water, which had been chilled by a cold snap, The Associated Press reported. One of those was airlifted and remained in critical condition, police said, and three others were seriously injured. "This is every parents' nightmare," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told Fairfax Radio, according to AP. "I just am stunned by this." The two vessels were believed to be a fishing trawler and a 23-foot half-cabin run-around, police said. They collided near the Bradleys Head area of the harbor. Stephanie Radnidge, an emergency medic who was at the scene, described the situation for Sydney's 2UE 954 talk radio as "extremely difficult." Five of the patients were able to walk under their own power, she said, adding that the victims were mostly young males. Members of the public assisted the victims and got them out of the water, officials said. Police said they would look into why the cabin cruiser was overcrowded and being used for social purposes at that hour, AP reported. The cabin cruiser where the injuries and deaths took place was still floating after the collision but appeared to have damage to its back end, a reporter told the radio station. The cabin cruiser was normally not on company business at the time of the crash, said John McPherson, general manager of Sydney Ship Repair and Engineering which owns the cabin cruiser, according to AP. |
