A Hornblower harbor cruise ship smashed into the walkway along San Diego's Embarcadero while docking on Thursday afternoon, jolting tourists on board and sending three people to the hospital.
A photo taken by a witness shows the ship crushing the walkway of the Embarcadero. The incident happened just before 1 p.m. in the area of North Harbor Drive and Broadway.
San Diego fire officials said seven people suffered minor injuries in the incident; four people were able to leave the boat on their own and another three were taken to the hospital.
All those injured are believed to have minor injuries, such as bumps, bruises and some pain, officials said.
Passengers on board the Adventure Hornblower, a 150-foot-long yacht, waited for two hours to get off the ship, as a tugboat worked to pull the vessel away from the pier.
Dozens were allowed off the boat just before 4 p.m., many of whom appeared stunned from the accident.
A tourist from Wisconsin said he was standing on the walkway, waiting to get on the Hornblower, when suddenly he realized something was wrong when the boat didn't slow as it was docking.
“We realized that it was coming in really hard and really fast," said Pete Sinsky of Kenosha, Wisconsin. "And the next thing we know, we are all just scrambling because the boat just crashes into the pier.”
Sinsky said his family then decided not to take the cruise ship tour on Thursday.
Fire officials said an apparent mechanical malfunction prevented the ship from stopping in time.
Attempts to reach Hornblower Cruises on Thursday afternoon were not immediately successful.
According to the Hornblower's website, the Adventure Hornblower seats 300 passengers and is certified for bay tours surrounding San Diego's skyline and for dolphin and whale watching.
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The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating what caused the malfunction. Meanwhile, there is no timeline for when the Adventure Hornblower will be repaired and providing bay cruises.
