2 Dead, 2 Missing After Vessel Collision

Two people died and two others are missing in relation to a collision involving a water taxi and a ferry on the Wadden Sea near the Dutch island of Terschelling early Friday morning (October 21), the Friesland Security Region announced via the Associated Press.

The collision took place at around 7:15 a.m. local time. A total of 27 passengers and crew members were onboard the ferry at the time of the crash, while eight others traveling on the significantly smaller water taxi were throw into the water, according to authorities.

“Everybody is searching for the missing people,” spokesman Jan Willem Zwart of the Friesland Security Region said in a telephone interview with the AP.

Zwart added that the other four people thrown from the water taxi during the collision experienced injuries.

All of the individuals on board the ferry were taken to the mainland port of Harlingen while a search continued for the missing individuals thrown off the water taxi.

The cause of the collision wasn't immediately made clear to authorities as of Friday morning. Zwart confirmed that the captains of both vessels were detained in adherence with their investigation into the crash, which is standard practice in situations such as Friday's crash.