VIENNA: Eleven people were injured when a Bulgarian cruise ship crashed into a concrete wall in a sluice on the River Danube in the northern Austrian town of Aschach an der Donau overnight, local police said on Saturday.

Some 160 passengers were aboard the ship traveling from Bavaria in Germany to the Austrian city of Linz, a spokesperson for police in the nearby town of Eferding said.

The 11 injured were taken to hospital and the ship was able to continue onwards after the accident, the spokesperson said.

It was not immediately clear how serious the injuries were, the spokesperson said. Local media said another six people suffered lesser injuries that did not require hospital treatment.

It was also unclear what led to the accident.

The River Danube is one of Europe’s most significant and iconic rivers, winding its way through multiple countries and cultures. Cruise ships over the river attract thousands of tourists every year.

Earlier in 2023, a Ukrainian captain of a cruise liner was sentenced to five years in prison in Hungary for his role in a 2019 accident when his boat hit and sank a smaller boat on the River Danube, killing 25 South Korean tourists and two crew.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2024