6 Injured in Boat Collision Near Sicily

ROME – A cargo ship and a commuter hydrofoil collided near the entrance to the Sicilian port of Messina on Monday evening, injuring six people, officials said.

The collision occurred about 6 p.m., the Messina port captain’s office said.

The nationality and cargo of the merchant ship were not immediately known, port officials said.

About 150 passengers were aboard the hydrofoil, which had set out from Reggio Calabria and was about to arrive at Messina port on the other side of the Strait of Messina, said Gaetano Pellizzeri, an official in Calabria with Italian state railways, which operates the hydrofoil.

Six injured passengers were being taken ashore, Pellizzeri said.

Calabria, the “toe” of the boot-shaped Italian peninsula, is linked to the island of Sicily by air and sea routes.