Out-of-control cruise ship crashes into tourist boat on busy Venice canal
An out-of-control cruise ship in Italy crashed into a dock and tourist boat on a busy Venice canal Sunday, injuring multiple people.
The crash occurred in the Giudecca canal around 8:30 a.m. local time while maneuvering toward Venice's cruise terminals for mooring, according to a statement form the cruise ship company, MSC Cruises.
As the ship pulled in, accompanied by tugboats, it collided with the dock at San Basilio and a river boat that was moored there, said Alyssa Goldfarb, director of public relations for MSC Cruises.
The collision caused several people to fall from the smaller boat into the water, Il Gazzettino, a local Venice newspaper, reported.
Passengers aboard the MSC Opera cruise ship evacuated quickly, according to the local paper. At least five people were injured, The Associated Press reported.
Video taken from the scene shows the ship pulling into the canal as it towers several stories over the buildings next to it.
The hull of the river boat was severely damaged, video posted to Twitter shows.
The ship was later moved to the Marittima terminal, as planned, where it will carry out passenger boarding and disembarking, Goldfarb said. Officials are investigating the cause of the crash, she added.
The crash stalled boat traffic in the famed canal and has ignited calls for restrictions to be placed on cruise ships in the city, AP reported.
More than 100 people were aboard the tourist boat, according to AP. The MSC Opera can carry more than 2,675 passengers.
Additional details were not immediately available.
ABC News' Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
