jjcollins
DIS Veteran
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A ferry boat and cargo ship collided in Bahamian waters early Saturday, killing six people and injuring 28, officials said.
The accident occurred about 9 miles southwest Eleuthera island near the Exuma chain, in the Caribbean archipelago off Florida.
Bahamian Defense Force officers and the U.S. Coast Guard were involved in rescuing survivors, Assistant Police Supt. Allan Gibson said. The Coast Guard sent units from Miami and Clearwater, Fla.
The Sea Hauler was carrying 192 passengers as well as cars and cargo when it collided with The United Star, a 178-foot cargo ship with a crew of six, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Tony Russell said.
The Sea Hauler was on its way to Cat Island for celebrations over a long weekend to include a Monday public holiday.
Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt said assigning blame was not a priority: "We are trying to save lives right now."
The identities and nationalities of the victims have not been released.
At least 16 of the injured were taken to a hospital in Nassau, the capital, where police tried to control a growing crowd that gathered to wait for information. Rescuers were searching the water for more possible victims.
Police were escorting both the 98-foot ferry and the cargo ship to Nassau, Russell said. Most of the passengers and crew on the ferry had been transported to another boat, he said.
Officers from the Central Detective Unit have been dispatched to investigate the collision.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Perry Christie is expected to make a statement to the nation later Saturday.
jj........
The accident occurred about 9 miles southwest Eleuthera island near the Exuma chain, in the Caribbean archipelago off Florida.
Bahamian Defense Force officers and the U.S. Coast Guard were involved in rescuing survivors, Assistant Police Supt. Allan Gibson said. The Coast Guard sent units from Miami and Clearwater, Fla.
The Sea Hauler was carrying 192 passengers as well as cars and cargo when it collided with The United Star, a 178-foot cargo ship with a crew of six, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Tony Russell said.
The Sea Hauler was on its way to Cat Island for celebrations over a long weekend to include a Monday public holiday.
Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt said assigning blame was not a priority: "We are trying to save lives right now."
The identities and nationalities of the victims have not been released.
At least 16 of the injured were taken to a hospital in Nassau, the capital, where police tried to control a growing crowd that gathered to wait for information. Rescuers were searching the water for more possible victims.
Police were escorting both the 98-foot ferry and the cargo ship to Nassau, Russell said. Most of the passengers and crew on the ferry had been transported to another boat, he said.
Officers from the Central Detective Unit have been dispatched to investigate the collision.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Perry Christie is expected to make a statement to the nation later Saturday.
jj........
