And Carrie B cruise of Fort Lauderdale, which undocked from the dock early Wednesday morning due to bad weather in South Florida, drifted down the New River and crashed into several docked boats.
In a video from a resident in the area, sent to the television channel Local 10 Newsthe boat is observed drifting down the river, without anyone to crew it.
“I see a boat coming down the river and I think, ‘Wait, what’s happening?’ (…) Nobody drives that ship. Why is he here in this storm?’” said witness Patricia Carroll.
The cruise ship eventually crashed into other docked ships, including a yacht where there were two people on board.
One of them, identified as Stephanie, said: “Carrie B was docked there, but the line broke due to the wind. “They had him tied up, everything was fine, except this is crazy, as you can see.”
“I was asleep and heard some banging against the boat; I thought the boat was hitting the dock, but I got out and the fire department was here and the cruise ship was going up and down the river,” said a man named Todd, the other occupant of the yacht.
The couple said they tied the cruise ship to their boat to prevent it from hitting others. No injuries were reported in the incident.
The ship was towed back to its dock, an unusual occurrence for those who reside or frequent the area.
“Nothing as bad as the Carrie B in the middle of a storm at 3:30 in the morning hitting these boats,” Carroll said. “No, I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Carrie B Cruises operates excursion cruises in Fort Lauderdale.
Other maritime accidents were reported this Thursday. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) in the Miami sector reported that its crews responded to four cases of sailors in distress, due to marine conditions during the morning.
“Rough seas will continue in local waters through Thursday, and we urge boaters to check the weather for small craft warnings,” he warned.
Since Tuesday night, the heavy rains and the bad weather affecting South Florida caused flooding and destruction in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for most counties, which was in effect until 6 a.m. Thursday.
The eve, Waves reached up to 10 feet (three meters) high and 30 mile per hour winds affected businesses. close to the beaches, which closed as a precautionary measure.
The images spread on social networks showed the hell that the residents of South Florida experienced in the last few hours, where even some drivers were trapped inside their cars.
