A café worker has told of the moment she realised six people were in the water after a boat crash on the River Ouse in York.
As reported by The Press online, six people were rescued from the Ouse after a small, customer-driven boat collided with a large City Cruises York passenger boat.
The incident happened at 12.25pm on Wednesday (April 24) near Lendal Bridge. North Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Ambulance Service attended the scene.
The small boat sank after capsizing. One of the passengers was taken to York Hospital after all six people in the smaller boat were rescued from the water.
A City Cruises York spokesperson said the incident happened when a City Cruises York self-drive boat veered into the course of a larger City Cruises passenger boat.
"As a result of the collision, the self-drive boat capsized and six individuals found themselves in the water," the spokesperson added.
"Our dedicated City Cruises York team acted swiftly to ensure the safety of all individuals involved.
"Immediate rescue efforts were initiated and all individuals were successfully rescued from the water with no injuries reported.
"The safety of our passengers and crew is the upmost of importance to us and we are currently conducting a thorough investigation into the incident.
"Necessary health and safety procedures are followed at all times, and captains and crew of our boats have regular training to provide the safest environment possible for our passengers."
Ellie Stubbs - who works at the Perky Peacock Café - which is adjacent to the crash site, said: "The girl I work with looked out of the window and said ‘there are people in the river’.
"Three of them got pulled onto the cruise (boat), two of them came out by Perky and one came out by the rowing club."
Ellie added: "We were a bit nervous, we’ve never seen anything like that happen before.
"We offered them a drink but they didn’t say much, I think they were just in shock.
"One of them was an older woman, the rest of them were younger. They just looked really cold.
"We couldn't see the boat, all that was left was some cushions on top of the water."
Ellie said that the large passenger boat remained on the river for a long period of time, and didn't let anyone leave the boat while paramedics tended to the passengers on board who had been rescued from the water.
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A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said officers were alerted to the scene just after 12.30pm on Wednesday.
"On arrival officers confirmed all six persons had been recovered from the water safe and well," the spokesperson added.
"The boat was a small hire boat which sank to the bottom of the river after colliding with another craft."
A Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "We received an emergency call at 12.25pm on Wednesday afternoon to report a boat collision on the River Ouse, near Lendal Bridge in York.
"An ambulance, rapid response vehicle and team leader were dispatched to the scene. Six patients were checked over and one of them was conveyed to York Hospital."
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