Four Orealla residents were forced to swim to shore on Friday evening after a barge crashed into their boat, causing them to capsize.
Gordon Herman, 45, a farmer of Anora Point, Orealla, along with his father, Kelvin Herman, 74, of the same village and two others had been heading to Corriverton in a wooden boat when a barge, which was heading to Orealla, crashed into them.
Gordon, who was captaining the boat, told police that he noticed a small light approaching, which led him to attempt to signal the captain of the barge several times. However, a few minutes later, the man said, he felt the impact of the collision, which caused his boat to capsize, forcing the four to swim to shore.
This newspaper was told that they all suffered minor injuries. The boat and engine have since been located while police have launched an investigation.
