80+ injured, some critical as ferry collides with ‘object’ in Japan

More than 80 people were injured, with five of them in a critical condition, after a jetfoil ferry incident in the Sea of Japan on Saturday, according to local authorities. The vessel carrying 121 passengers and four crew apparently hit a large marine animal, presumably a whale, and sustained a 15-centimeter crack in the stern. Despite the damage, the high-speed boat, which connects the city of Niigata with the nearby Sado island, managed to reach its destination in Ryotsu port, according to ferry operator. Witnesses reported the sound of a bang as the collision occurred. “People around me were moaning [because of pain],” one of the passengers told journalists.