A neighbour said he heard the cries of a 9-month-old boy who officials believe later starved after his mother died of a possible overdose in their Pittsburgh-area apartment.

A Staten Island ferry pilot may have fallen asleep just before his ship slammed into a pier killing 10 people and injuring at least 42 others in New York harbour, police said today.

The pilot responsible for docking a New York harbour ferry that slammed into a pier, killing at least 10 people and injuring 42 others, fled the scene immediately after the crash and then attempted suicide, a police official said today.

At least 10 people were killed and 34 injured when a New York harbour ferry slammed into a pier as it was docking, tearing off victims’ limbs and sending passengers leaping into the water, officials said.