Thaindian News

By Gina Gomez
Philadelphia, July 8, (THAINDIAN NEWS) A sightseeing ‘duck boat’ was struck by tragedy on Wednesday when the ferry was hit by a barge in the Delaware River, flipping it over and then gradually sinking it. All the 37 passengers who were aboard the duck boat when it was struck by the barge were tossed into the river but most of them have fortunately been rescued by the Coast Guard authorities. However, two persons are missing although a vigorous search to locate them was initiated soon after the incident.

Coast Guard Senior Chief Bud Holden has divulged to the media that the two missing persons have been identified as a 20-year-old man and 16-year-old girl, both of whom hail from Hungary although as of now it is still unclear whether they were passengers or crew members. Out of the 35 people aboard the boat who have been brought to safety, officials have revealed that ten of them had to be taken to a nearby medical facility after they suffered minor injuries. Meanwhile, despite the fact that multiple vessels and divers are trying their level best to find the two missing persons, as of now there has not been any breakthrough in the search efforts.

The tourist boat which is operated by the company Ride The Ducks, supposedly suffered a mechanical problem and at the same time, a fire had also broken out in the vessel, according to officials. The boat was stuck in the water for about ten minutes before it was hit by the barge which is used to carry sludge. However, information about what caused the barge to struck the boat has not been available as yet.