22 Oct 2010

Dutch ferry capsizes after collision with freighter

9:56 pm on 22 October 2010

Dutch emergency services are searching for survivors after a freighter collided with a foot passenger ferry in a shipping canal near Amsterdam, police say.

The accident has closed traffic on the busy Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, about 10km south of the city, as rescuers search for passengers, including the captain, after the ferry capsized.

The BBC reports the collision happened about 7am local time on Friday.

It was not immediately clear how many passengers were on the ferry which can carry about 15 people, often with their bicycles, across the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal waterway.

The canal connects Amsterdam to the Rhine River - a major European shipping artery.

Officials are questioning the captain of the freighter, which is moored near the scene.