Fears Brits caughtupin ferry smash

FIVE people have been taken to hospital after a spectacular ferry crash on the holiday island of Gran Canaria.

The car ferry, believed to be carrying British tourists among the passengers, smashed into a port wall after engine failure.

Video footage showed the ship – which was heading towards the neighbouring island of Tenerife with 140 passengers, 30 crew members and dozens of vehicles on board – adrift before it hit the concrete wall at the entrance to Luz Port in the Gran Canaria capital of Las Palmas.

Five people were taken to hospital.

It included one man who suffered a broken collarbone after falling to the ground during the collision, and another five people who received medical attention at the scene.

Most of those affected, who included a pregnant woman, suffered panic attacks. None were seriously hurt.

It is thought some British holidaymakers were on board the vessel at the time, although the exact number is not known.

The incident, involving a car ferry called the Volcan de Tamasite, happened just before 8.30am on Friday.

The ferry lost power as it was leaving port and crew attempts to stop the collision by getting the engines restarted and throwing down anchors failed.

The damaged port wall came down on two vehicles belonging to oil firm Onyx which were refuelling a nearby ship, causing an oil spill which led to an environmental emergency being declared.

Up to 200,000 litres of fuel was initially feared to have spilled, although port authority sources said they believed the situation would be ok.

mail@sundaypost.com