On Saturday evening, the ship leaked on the Main near Karlstadt, passengers and crew were evacuated. © Benedict Rottmann/District Fire Inspection Main-Spessart/dpa
On the Main, a passenger ship leaked near Karlstadt, triggering a large-scale operation. The cause investigation is ongoing.
Karlstadt – An abrupt end to a pleasure trip: A cruise ship with 148 people on board leaked and evacuated on the Main River on Sunday night. Passengers and crew had to spend the night in a gym in Karlstadt, 30 kilometers west of Würzburg, police said. A large contingent of the fire brigade and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief had prevented the ship from sinking.
Passenger ship wrecked on Main: Night-time evacuation
The "Amadeus Elegant" was with 126 elderly passengers from Great Britain on the journey from Budapest to Dusseldorf, according to a police spokesman. When exiting the Himmelstadt lock, the stern grazed a rock near the shore. Shortly after 23:00 p.m., the police were alerted that the crew was struggling with a significant water ingress. Probably, the skipper made a driving mistake, said the police headquarters of Lower Franconia. The water police are investigating.
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Overnight at the gym: Travelers must be in emergency shelter
The cruise ship still managed to drive the short distance to Karlstadt and moor there, said district fire chief Benedict Rottmann. At around 03:00 a.m., all passengers and crew members were taken off board and taken to a nearby gym, where 60 helpers from the Bavarian Red Cross had meanwhile set up beds and prepared drinks. Until the early hours of the morning, around 160 firefighters and THW firefighters pumped water out of the ship.
No one was injured in the accident. The passengers were to be taken by bus to a hotel in Würzburg in the course of Sunday, according to police chief Christoph Reinhart. Most travelers would then take the flight back to the UK. A continuation of the ship is only possible after a repair by a specialist company. The amount of the damage cannot yet be quantified. According to the current state of affairs, no oil or diesel leaked during the accident.
InBarcelona, a German couple wanted to go on a cruise. It is only at the ship that they learn that the man has been blacklisted because of a towel breakdown – only his wife is allowed on board. (mlh/dpa)
