Child & adult missing, several hurt after passenger ships collide on the Wadden Sea

Two people, including a 12-year-old child, are missing after a ferry and a water taxi collided in the Wadden Sea on Friday morning. "There are several injured," including two critically. Rescue workers from the KNRM saved several others and brought them to the West-Terschelling port.

Emergency services resuscitated two people at the scene before rushing them to a hospital in critical condition, a spokesperson for the local security office told Omrop Fryslan. Multiple individuals were rescued from the water, including one who had been in the water for a long time.

The boats involved in the accident are Rederij Doeksen’s ferry MS Tiger and the Stormloper water taxi, the fire department confirmed. They sail between Harlingen and Terschelling. The accident happened near Terschelling in the Schuitengat, a channel in the Wadden Sea.

Several passengers of the water taxi ended up in the water. Rescue workers are still searching for at least two people who went overboard, including the child.

Eyewitness Sytse Schoustra told NOS that the water taxi was "as good as sunk," and the Tiger was also taking on water. There were 27 people on the Tiger and seven on the Stormloper.

“The Stormloper took on water and is dragging in shallow water,” the fire department said. Those who were rescued were brought to the West-Terschelling port.

The Tiger is now at the harbor in Harlingen, where a reception center was set up for passengers who were on the ferry. The Dutch Safety Board will visit the location, and the ship will be investigated by police officers, according to Omrop Fryslan.

Dozens of search and rescue personnel & first responders took the call

At least eight ships from the KNRM and the Coast Guard were involved in the search, according to to live ship tracking websites, and a private tugboat was also in the area. The ships were navigating the waters to the west and south of the Engelschhoek nature reserve, a small island, as well as the area between Engelschhoek and the western tip of Terschelling. The Stormloper was being tracked in the water south of there.

A rescue helicopter was seen circling over the area, and a police helicopter was also dispatched to the scene from Schiphol Airport. The incident was first reported to the National Coast Guard Center at about 7:15 a.m., records show. Emergency services crews were sent on the ground to stage in West-Terschelling, including police, firefighters, and paramedics. A trauma team was also sent by air ambulance to the scene.

Grip 3 regional disaster response declared

The incident alarm was quickly raised to a Grip 1 emergency and was elevated to a Grip 2 by 7:52 a.m. and a Grip 3 alarm at 8:43 a.m. The grip system is a set of protocols for responding to incidents that affect a wider region, with situations that are more serious being designated a higher number.

A Grip 3 response indicates a threat to the general well-being of a population, typically within a single municipality, according to NCTV, the government’s counter-terrorism and security office. It calls for the establishment of a single coordinating incident commander at the scene, with another commander providing support from a remote location.

The local mayor and their staff are then to coordinate an administrative response to adequately handle the aftermath of the situation. The Minister of the Interior and the provincial commissioner who reports to the king are also kept up to date about the incident.