Passenger ferry crashes into port wall in Gran Canaria

Thirteen people injured after boat loses electrical power and hits breakwater

Engine failure caused a ferry to crash through a port wall in the Canary Islands. Five people were hospitalised after the incident and underwater fuel pipes were damaged causing an oil spill. Video: Emergcan

Thirteen passengers on board a ferry were injured when the boat slammed into a concrete breakwater at a port on the Canary Islands.

Manolo Vidal, spokesman for Naviera Armas, the Spanish company that owns the ferry, said that a “loss of electrical power” caused the crash.

The incident happened as the ferry was leaving the Puerta de la Luz on Gran Canaria on Friday night.

Emergency services said five of the injured were taken to hospital.

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TV images show the ferry hitting the breakwater head-on, sending chunks of the concrete wall tumbling down onto a service road.

The company said that the ferry was able to dock following the accident and that the passengers had been placed in hotels.

AP