Students stranded on St. John River when Westfield ferry cable breaks

Eleven students on a school buswere among the passengers stranded on the St. John River after a Westfield ferry cable broke Monday afternoon.

The Henry Nase, one of two ferries operating betweenGrand Bay-Westfield and the Kingston Peninsula, got stuck around3:40 p.m.

The 18 people on boardalso included two crew members and the occupants of two cars.

By about 6:05 p.m., all the passengers were off the ferry.

Vessel turns around

Nobody was hurt when the cable broke, and the ferry operator anchored the vesselabout six metres from the peninsula landing before it could drift downriver.

JodyKelly, one of the passengers on board, said the ferry was heading to the peninsula butgot turned around by the accident.

Then it seemed to get stuck, she said.

"A couple of small boats came and they were pushing, sort of tried to move the ferry a bit, but I don't think they are having much success," she said as the ferry remained offshore.

Kelly said she takes the ferryoften and always expected the cable to break one day.

On Monday, she heard someone yell "hey," and noticed the ferry wasn't going straight any more.

"It was veering," she said. "Theywere very good at coming down, putting the anchor down, and just with the current, I guess we got sort of turned around."

'Theywere very good at coming down, putting the anchor down, and just with the current, I guess we got sort of turned around./- Jody Kelly, ferry passenger

TheDepartment of Transportation and Infrastructure said a tow boat was on its wayto bring the ferry back to the landing around 5 p.m.

"Everybody is safe," said spokesperson Tanya Greer.

"The safety of people travelling our ferries is very high priority and we apologize for any inconvenience the passengers have experienced."

Happens more in winter

Greer could not say how often the cable broke in the past.

• Westfield ferry towed to safety after cable snapped

But Chantale Lagace, who works at the Hardings Point Campground on the peninsula, said she's never seen a cable break in the summer.

"In the winter time, the ice will break the cable or something like that," she said. "But in the summer time I haven't seen it let go."

Lagacesaid she heard about the ferry problem Monday from a co-worker, who called to let her know she would be late for work.

"So I went and looked out the window and there it was, just off the side from where it normally docks," she said. "It looks like the cable just let go and then they put the anchor down right away and it caught. It's just sitting in there."

In the winter time, the ice will break the cable or something like that. But in the summer time I haven't seen it let go.- Chantale Lagace, campground employee

Luckily, a second ferry. theWoolastock 1,is available for service on the pensinsula-Westfield run.

"Sothe service still continued and itwasn'tbacked up too long," she said.

Kelly, who was still on the ferry after 5 p.m., said she was getting a little hungry but was sure "they'll get it sorted out."