In the middle of the night Viking River Cruises' ship Viking Freya crashed into a bridge in Erlangen Germany, killing 2 crew and destroying the boat's Wheelhouse. A company statement said no passengers or other crewmembers were injured.
According to German medias, Freya's 49 crew and 181 passengers were stranded aboard until 6 AM when rescuers brought a catwalk and got everyone ashore. Viking Cruises has already transported all to local hotels.
Viking Freya will be moved for repairs. Cruise passengers can continue their trip with Viking on a modified itinerary after joining Viking Bestla in Passau, Germany. They can also choose to return home. Line's Customer Relations team contacts all impacted guests to discuss appropriate compensation.
Viking Freya was cruising Germany's Rhine-Main-Danube Canal en-route to Budapest Hungary. Shipping traffic was halted until further notice. The cause of the accident is still unknown, but local newspapers reported the police on the scene said the wheelhouse had not been lowered to clear the bridge.