A cruise ship crashed into a tourist boat before ramming into a dock in Venice, Italy after experiencing a "technical issue" on Sunday.
At around 8:30 a.m., the MSC Opera was pulling into the dock at San Basilio in the Giudecca canal when the cruise ship experienced unforeseen circumstances which led to a collision with a nearby river boat that was moored there. Footage shows the frightening moment when the MSC Opera made its way onto the dock with its horns blaring.
Alyssa Goldfarb, public relations director for MSC Cruises, told NPR that they are considering the cruise's problem to be a technical issue. However, Davide Calderan, the head of one of the tugboats accompanying the cruise ship, believes the issue can be pinpointed to an engine failure. "The MSC ship had an engine failure, which was immediately reported by the captain," Calderan said. "The engine was blocked, but with its thrust on, because the speed was increasing."
The MSC Opera incident has left five injured, according to The Associated Press, while the local Venice newspaper Il Gazzettino reports that several people were sent into the water following the collision with the smaller boat.
The cruise ship has been given authorization to move to the Marittima terminal, as originally planned, and commence with passenger operations. Goldfarb says an investigation into the cause of the crash is already in progress.
