Ferry Ran Aground and Started Sinking, More than 70 Rescued
- The Royal Iris ferry ran aground in Eastham.
- More than 70 people were rescued.
- The grounding caused a hole in the hull and the ship began to take on water.
On July 10, the Royal Iris ferry ran aground on the River Mersey. The grounding caused a hole in the hull and the ship started to sink, reports say.
More than 70 people were rescued from the ferry by transferring the passengers from the sinking ferry to a dredger, which was also used to pump water out of the ferry.
Mike Shinks, of Bolton, said he was on the day cruise from Seacombe, Wirral, along the Manchester Ship canal to Salford Quays.
He said as the vessel approached the entrance to the canal it waited for a dredger to come through from the locks.
“When the Royal Iris passed the dredger, there was a scraping noise and we were forced to weigh anchor,” he said.
A passenger, Jonathan Whittaker, told the BBC that no one had been injured and people “were taking it in good spirits”.
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