AKIPRESS.COM - Seventy people were injured, some seriously, when a high-speed ferry carrying 220 passengers and 13 crew members from Hong Kong slammed into a breakwater off the main ferry pier in Macau on Friday morning.

The TurboJet ferry, Cacilhas, mounted the breakwater before listing to its right at about 9.30am, according to Macau’s marine and water bureau, The South China Morning Post said.

The 45 men and 25 women, aged 17 to 69, reported as injured include 59 Hong Kong residents, four Korean tourists, one Japanese visitor, two Thailand travellers and four Macau residents, according to Macau's health department. Nine crew members were among those hurt, the department said.

“The injured were conscious while being sent to hospital," a department spokesman said. "An initial assessment showed they suffered minor injuries, mainly bruises and abrasions.”

A spokesman for operator TurboJet said one crew member suffered "serious injuries" to the waist, while 50 of the injured have been discharged from hospital.

“An initial investigation showed a hole was broken in the bow of the vessel and the engines could be seen through the hole,” a spokeswoman for the marine and water bureau said.

“After the crash, the vessel listed to one side, ran aground and slightly took in water.”

The spokeswoman said there was a high tide at the time of the incident and the breakwater might have been submerged.