British tourists injured after speedboat crash throws them into icy Norwegian seas
Boat returning from Arctic fjord sightseeing trip hits fountain in Harstad harbour, casting 10 people into freezing water
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A number of British tourists are in hospital after being thrown into the icy seas off Norway when their speedboat hit a water fountain near the town of Harstad.
Two boats carrying 24 people between them were returning from a sightseeing trip when one hit the fountain in the harbour, around 875 miles north of the capital Oslo.
Witnesses said the boats were travelling at high speeds and those aboard the one involved in the accident were thrown into the water “like dolls”.
They were left in waters just above freezing for around 15 minutes before being rescued.
A spokesman for the holiday company Inghams said: “Our local team in Harstad, Northern Norway has advised they are assisting 10 guests who took a boat excursion as part of their 'Arctic Fjord' short break today.
“Following an incident this afternoon as they came into harbour at the end of the sea safari (the cause of which remains unconfirmed at this time), the passengers, the boat pilot and our tour leader were all taken to hospital in Harstad for check-ups.
“Sadly it appears that the boat pilot has more serious injuries, and has been transferred to Tromso hospital.
“Six guests and our tour leader are reported to have minor injuries. Of these six, four guests and our tour leader are staying overnight in Harstad hospital on a precautionary basis.”
The incident is thought to have happened at around 3pm local time (2pm GMT) and involved a rigid-inflatable boat (Rib).
The British group were on a tour with a local travel agent, a company co-owned by a member of the local police in Harstad and a former employee of the force, police said.
Neither was aboard the boat that hit the fountain but both witnessed the accident.
The Foreign Office said: “We are in contact with the Norwegian authorities following an incident in Harstad. We are ready to support British people affected.”
PA
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments