A container ship crashed into a concrete control tower in the Italian port of Genoa, killing seven, with two more people still missing.
According to a coastguard statement, three of the deceased were officers on board the ship. Deep sea divers are currently still looking for the two missing people at the site of the crash, while cranes searched through the wreckage at the shore, extracting an additional two victims hours later.
The tower stood 160 feet high on the coast of northern coast of Italy when the vessel, the Jolly Nero, struck its side, causing it to sink into the Ligurian Sea at about 11 p.m. local time.
The coastguard reported that the collision happened in steady waters, just as the Jolly Nero was making its way out of the port.
While members of staff changed shifts, the vessel crashed into the tower, where 13 workers were stationed.
In addition to the dead and missing, four other people were hurt and immediately rushed to the hospital, two of whom were in grave condition and the third with a lost foot.
Emergency services doctor Andrea Furgani who was at the scene claimed that most people got crushed, literally.
"The main injuries are fractures, crushed body parts, significant traumas," she said.
Reasons for the crash are still relatively unknown, but some, including Genoa prosecutor Michele Di Lecce, who has started an investigation on the collision, wager that it stemmed from a malfunction of the ship's engine.
Other causes could include issues with towing cables rigged up to two tug boats that were also making their way out of the harbor, or simply human error.
Head of the Genoa Port Authority Luigi Merlo expressed his confusion about the enigmatic occurrence to Reuters.
"There's no logical explanation because two tug boats were moving the ship and there was a port pilot on board and sea conditions were optimal," he said.
An extensive investigation, including the search for the missing bodies, will follow. For now, all that remains of the tower is a metal stairway, leaning precariously in the evening sky.
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