Ferry Accident Near Seattle Leaves No Injuries

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A very big ferry carrying a lot of people got stuck near Bainbridge Island which is close to Seattle in the United States. It happened at 4:30 pm as the ferry – called Walla Walla – was travelling from Bremerton city to Seattle. There were no injuries or any kind of pollution reported yet. This ferry belongs to Washington State Ferries – part of the country’s Transportation Department.

Investigators think that something went wrong with the engine of the vessel, but are still looking into it. There were 596 passengers and 15 crew members on board. A tug boat and the Coast Guard have arrived to help and believe that they can tow the boat safely at midnight. The top priority is making sure everyone stays safe while they try to figure out what happened.

At first, the passengers were not allowed to leave the boat. Unfortunately, someone onboard suddenly got very sick and needed help urgently, so the agency had to let them all off.

Kitsap Transit quickly organized a special ferry that took people from Walla Walla to Bremerton before low tide. They also said they are figuring out a way for people to get their vehicles back tomorrow.

A Coast Guard officer saw a boat close to the beach and other people around taking pictures. They also noticed a tugboat near the vessel, with what looks like another Coast Guard boat next to it. The Department of Ecology reported that they could not detect any pollution or damage to the hull. Also, they are sending responders out to check the scene. Because of all this, the ferry route between Seattle and Bremerton won’t be available until further notice so it’s known on the Department of Transportation’s website.

The Walla Walla ferry is a super big boat with 4 engines and can carry around 2000 people and 188 cars at the same time. It is 440 feet long (equivalent to 134 meters) and has a draft of 18 feet (around 5.4 meters). It was built in Seattle in 1973 and then renovated in 2003.