North Carolina ferry hits sandbar, runs aground; 13 injured
Thirteen passengers were injured Tuesday morning after a North Carolina ferry hit a sandbar and ran aground, officials said.
Shortly after 9 a.m., the Adventure hit a sandbar near Battery Island as it was heading toward Bald Head Island from Southport, Joyce Fulton, director of communication for Bald Head Island Limited, told the Los Angeles Times.
At the time of the accident, the 64-foot ferry was carrying 53 passengers and three crew members. None of the passengers’ injuries were “life-threatening,” she said.
After being contacted for medical assistance, U.S. Coast Guard members dispatched crews to the scene, according to a release on the U.S. Coast Guard’s 5th District Public Affairs website.
The crew transferred the injured passengers to the rescue boats, where they were later taken to nearby hospitals.
Coast Guard officials said they will continue to investigate the cause of the accident.
“It would be false to try and speculate right now,” Lt. Lane Munroe, command center chief of Coast Guard Sector North Carolina, said at the conference, Star News Online reported.
The investigation could take anywhere from a few days to several months, he said.
Fulton said normal ferry operations resumed at 1 p.m. EST. However, the Adventure remains stranded on the sandbar.
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