A ferry from the tourist island of Capri rammed the quay while docking in Naples. 44 people were injured. The G7 summit is currently taking place in Capri.
Capri/Naples – The Mediterranean island of Capri is considered the jewel of Italy in the sea off Naples. The rugged cliffs and narrow streets of the villages of Capri and Anacapri are a neighborhood for the rich and famous. If you can't afford to stay overnight there, you can at least take a day trip there as a Naples tourist.
The G7 summit takes place on the dream island of Capri
Because of the island's sophisticated beauty and strategically easy control, the G7 summit of foreign ministers from the seven most important western industrial nations is currently taking place there. That's why there were angry counter-demonstrations in Naples on Friday.
But already in the morning a drama occurred in the port of the Mediterranean metropolis: the fast ferry “Isola di Procida” of the shipping company Caremar, which had left Capri at 9:05 a.m., rammed the quay wall while docking at the Beverello pier. According to
fanpage.it,
the cause was
probably the violent storm, which led to high waves. The visibility was also bad.
Storm makes for an uncomfortable passage - passengers wait on the stairs
After the uncomfortable crossing, the 163 passengers on board, including many foreign tourists, could hardly wait to get off the 71-meter-long, 25-year-old rocking ship. Lines formed that reached up the ship's steep stairs between the decks. The impact caused passengers to fall, falling on top of each other, some landing on the landing.
At least 44 people were injured, most of them Italians with minor bruises who were taken to hospital by ambulance or went to the emergency room themselves. Eight US citizens were among the injured. An armada of ambulances were on the scene. One woman was considered seriously injured. The rescue operation ended around 1 p.m.
Passenger: “I was hit hard in the face”
“I was at the top of the stairs, in the front row in front of all the other passengers, as the ship approached the pier to dock and then suddenly I fell and found myself on the landing, luckily I didn't hit my head , but only a calf and a shoulder,” Salvatore, one of the injured passengers
,
told
Ansa.it.
A tourist from northern Italy, still in shock, told reporters: "A very strong blow, I received a strong blow in the face, I saw many people falling to the ground. We were on vacation in Capri. I couldn’t have imagined this end to our journey in the last few days.”
Using the data from the “black box”, the ship’s data recorder, the shipping authority is now investigating whether the cause of the accident, as the shipping company suspected, was human error or a strong gust of wind. The ship has now moored at the pier for investigations. There is a large hole on the port side (left) of the stern just above the waterline. Due to the accident, some trips to Capri, where the G7 consultations ended on Friday, were canceled.
Union criticizes the shipping companies
Union representatives are calling for more safety for ferries after the accident: "This morning's accident makes it clear that safety in port workplaces must be a priority for shipping companies, which must commit to reducing the risks to workers and passengers," said a statement of the Italian Trade Union Confederation CGIL, Naples and Campania Department.
Just a few weeks ago, two ferries lurched during a storm near the holiday island of Ischia and the port town of Pozzuoli. One of the two ships ran aground as the water became shallower due to the swelling supervolcano of the Phlegraean Fields. Four secret agents died in a boating accident on Lake Maggiore last year.