49 hurt after Japanese ferry 'hits whale'

A high-speed passenger ferry hit a suspected whale in south-west Japan, and 49 people were injured, an official said today.

The boat, carrying 109 passengers and crew, hit the suspected whale near the mouth of Kagoshima Bay in Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island, according to Coast Guard official Tsuyoshi Kariyazono.

A patrol boat transported seven seriously injured passengers to Ibusuki port, also in the bay, Kariyazono said. He had no information on the extent of the injuries.

The other passengers remained on the ferry, which made its way from the crash site to about two miles off Ibusuki before becoming stranded, Kariyazono said. The vessel was damaged but wasn’t in danger of sinking, he said.

The Coast Guard received a distress call from the boat shortly after it collided with a whale or some other large sea animal at around 6pm (10am Irish time) today.

The ferry, “Toppy,” was on its way to Kagoshima from Tanegashima island off Kyushu’s southern coast.