York: Divers recover sunken boat after River Ouse boat crash

As reported by The Press at the time, a City Cruises passenger boat crashed with one of their smaller, self-driving boats on Wednesday (April 24). Six people had to be rescued, and the crash caused the self-drive boat to sink to the bottom of the River Ouse.

One witness to the crash told The Press that all that remained of the boat were some cushions, which had floated to top of the river.

Today (April 29), the Briggs Diving Division set up on the side of the River Ouse, near Lendal Bridge. Their crew of two divers, and three support staff, were joined by a barge - which came from the other side of the river.

A safety boat carrying two members of staff secured the waterway before the diver entered at 12.54pm - where he remained underwater until 1.19pm.

A backup diver was prepared (Image: Harry Booth)

During his dive, a live video feed showed the boat was named Josephine, and despite the brown water, the diver managed to identify the area before returning to the surface.

The barge was then poised to take over from the diver, as the second stage of the rescue - bringing the boat back to the surface - began.

Just after 2.30pm, the boat was brought to the surface and retrieved.

City Cruises have issued a statement on the incident, which provided an updated on the wellbeing of the crash victims.

The statement said: "Following an incident on April 24th which saw a small, customer-driven City Cruises boat collide with River Duchess, a large City Cruises passenger boat, resulting in the capsizing of the smaller vessel and six individuals finding themselves in the water, we have heard that all involved are safe and well.

The boat was taken to the surface at around 2.30pm (Image: Richard Potter)

"We can confirm that immediate rescue efforts were initiated as a result of the incident. City Cruises staff acted swiftly and heroically to ensure the safety of all individuals involved. Their efforts showcased the professionalism of the team and readiness to handle emergencies effectively.

"City Cruises is in communication with external stakeholders regarding the incident, and our thorough investigation is still in progress.

"As this process is completed, and as we play our part in ensuring the River Ouse is safe for water-based traffic, we are inspecting the location of the incident and considering plans for the safe retrieval of the vessel with support from external partners."