Ferry runs aground in Boston Harbor; no injuries

BOSTON (WHDH) -- Coast Guard and police boats scrambled to rescue 149 people after a high speed ferry heading to Provincetown came to a sudden stop in Boston’s outer harbor.

“They said get your life jackets we started to get scared,” said one passenger.

The ferry ran aground just before 9 a.m. Through heavy fog, the boat could be seen, stuck in shallow water.

“The captain was trying to reverse forward and back and forward and the sand was coming up,” said another passenger.

“They should know how to go in fog. My god,” said Irma Zarinsky.

Trapped passengers pulled out cell phones to document the scene inside. The video shows people staying calm while they wait for help. Some passengers said there was comfort in being so close to the shoreline.

“We were not going to drown because we hit ground. If we were to fall in the water we'd be able to stand,” said ferry passenger, David Conti.

The Coast Guard said the Bay State cruise company is blaming operator error for the accident.

Rescuers spent more than an hour and a half transferring passengers, crew members and the dog to another ferry, but smaller rescue boats had to wade into the shallow water to get to them first.

“There was a point where we had to cross over 5 different boats crawling from coast guard boats to police boats and then out to the ferry boat,” said another passenger, Heidi. “It seemed like a freak accident.”

The boat was returned to shore after high tide. The company has canceled its high-speed service for the weekend.