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Small Dutch passenger ferry overturns after being hit

By the CNN Wire Staff
Divers search the Amsterdam-Rijn canal on Friday after a collision between a freight ship and a passenger ferry.
Divers search the Amsterdam-Rijn canal on Friday after a collision between a freight ship and a passenger ferry.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Divers are searching for the boat's captain
  • The small ferry transports people and bikes
  • No bodies have been found in the water
RELATED TOPICS
  • Amsterdam
  • Netherlands

(CNN) -- The skipper of a small passenger ferry was missing Friday after the vessel was hit by a freight ship and capsized in a canal south of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Dutch police said.

The ferry, which is used to transport people and bicycles, was hit in the Rijn canal in the Nieuwer Ter Aa area, according to Carine Portengen with the Dutch Police Agency. She said authorities are not sure if the skipper was on board before the collission.

A police helicopter with sonar and fire department divers were searching the waters for any possible victims.

None had been found several hours after the accident, which happened around 7 a.m. (1 a.m. ET).

CNN's Talia Kayali contributed to this report.