Dozens hurt as tourist ship hits bridge on river Rhine in western Germany

Structure reopens after inspection by engineers

The tourist boat Swiss Crystal crashed into a bridge (AP)

Dozens of people have been hurt after a tourist ship hit a road bridge on the Rhine in western Germany.

Police said 25 people were injured when the Swiss Crystal, which had 129 people on board, hit a pillar of the bridge near Duisburg.

The water level was high at the time and the pillar is usually on land, news agency dpa reported.

The ship was heading downstream on the last leg of a Rhine tour starting and ending in the Dutch city of Arnhem. It set off on 22 December.

Another ship took the 103 passengers, most of them Dutch, and 26 crew members to Duisburg.

Police said four people with more serious injuries were released from hospital on Wednesday.

The bridge was closed for several hours as a precaution, but structural engineers cleared it to reopen after carrying out checks.

AP