Officials seek cause of ferry crash

VANCOUVER, July 1 (UPI) -- Authorities sought Friday to determine why a Canadian ferry, which recently had a $36-million renovation, lost power and crashed into a private marina.

The Queen of Oak Bay ran aground with 589 passengers and crew members and 189 vehicles on board while coming into Vancouver's Horseshoe Bay early Thursday.

No one was injured in the incident but 15 to 20 boats were either destroyed or damaged, the Globe and Mail said. Nine hours after the collision, tugboats towed the ferry away from the marina wreckage. Ferry passengers did not disembark until late afternoon.

BC Ferries President David Hahn refused to speculate on the cause of the collision, noting that the captain of the ferry was quite shaken and unavailable for comment.

Premier Gordon Campbell, who visited the accident, said, "The ship just went through a refit and no one could have anticipated this."