Boat crash on Lake Zurich causes injuries

The boat involved was a passenger ship, the MS Albis Keystone

A boat crash on Lake Zurich on Wednesday left ten people injured, three of them seriously.

The ship ‘MS Albis’, which carries passengers around the lake, collided with the jetty at Küsnacht, a wealthy commune on the edge of the lake known as the gold coast. The Albis is one of 12 boats regularly operating on Lake Zurich, which includes two steamboats.

According to the Lake Zurich Navigation Company (ZSG), damages to the ship and jetty are estimated at CHF 230,000 ($236,808).

Around 60 people were on board when the incident occurred early on Wednesday afternoon, according to a police statement. One of the three seriously injured people was the ship’s cook, who was using a fryer at the time and had to be flown to hospital with burns. 

An investigation has been opened into why the boat did not slow down in time.

The jetty was blocked off to clear up the collision site, and boat traffic on the lake was disrupted.

Swiss newspaper Blick published this photograph of the damage to the boat and jetty from a passerby.

“Accident on Lake Zurich: the ‘Albis’ thunders into the jetty at Küsnacht, Zurich.”

Unfall auf dem Zürichsee: «Albis» donnert bei Küsnacht ZH in Steg https://t.co/aC5GALyzHNExternal link pic.twitter.com/MzhEkYx6LOExternal link

— Blick (@Blickch) April 20, 2016External link

The navigation company has existed in its current form since 1957, when it was renamed from the Zurich Steamboat Company. That firm had been operating on Lake Zurich since 1890.