Live Updates: Lower Manhattan Ferry Crashes Into Dock, At Least 30 Injured

[6:22 p.m. FINAL UPDATE] Reuters has reported that one of the two critically injured passengers has been upgraded in condition.

A report by ABC News states that while the crew passed the breathalyzer tests, they will be interviewed by police on Thursday. According to ABC, authorities are still trying to determine the cause of the accident, but had ruled out the weather. Seastreak spokesman Bob Dorn told reporters that investigators would be looking into the vessel's machinery to see if it had anything to do with the accident. The vessel was last inspected in July 2012, ABC News reported. 

View an earlier report by the Associated Press:

[2:04 p.m.] According to Reuters, NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said that the ferry was travelling between 10 and 12 knots (11.5 to 14 mph) when it crashed into the pier. Police officials said that crew members of the NJ to NY commuter ferry passed breathalyzer tests administered after the crash on Wednesday.

Reuters reported that of the 57 passengers injured, two were critical with head injuries, nine were were series and 17 were guarded. Fire department officials told reporters that some of the injured were treated at the scene but many were taken to local hospitals.

Seastreak, the company that operates the ferry, released a statement following the accident, NJ.com reported. The statement said that crew "immediately initiated emergency response procedures" and that the companies "incident response team is on the scene." Spokesman Tom Wynne added, "Company management is working closely with emergency responders, including the New York Fire and Police departments to treat the injured and to respond to the situation."

The company announced on its website that it will provide free transportation to New York City to "friends and family members of those who were injured in today's incident, either via Seastreak vessel or car service. We will also provide lodging if necessary for those who may need to stay overnight." The statement released by the ferry company ended, "Our thoughts and prayers are with those that were injured. Seastreak LLC will work closely with the Federal, State and local authorities to determine the cause of the accident."

[12:40 p.m.] Read the full story and see photos by Latinos Post.

[12:32 p.m.] Tom Wynne, a spokesman for Seastreak, spoke to 1070WINA Radio News and said the accident occurred while passengers began to line up to disembark. "The ferry came into the dock hard," Wynne told the radio station. "When the vessel hit the dock, the passengers obviously fell."

The spokesman refused to name the ferry's captain but did tell 1070WINA, "All of our captains have a great deal of experience."

[11:55 a.m.] USA Today reported that fire department Commissioner Sal Cassano said that there were two critical injuries among the 326 people on board*. All injured passengers were taken to local hospitals in Manhattan and Brooklyn, Cassano said.

The Commissioner told USA Today that responders arrived at the scene within three minutes after receiving the call from the accident. A total of 155 firefighters and emergency respondents were on scene, USA Today reported. "At this present time, we are wrapping up our operation," Cassano said.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg was at the scene of the commuter ferry crash, USA Today stated.

*A previous updated based on a report by NBC News stated that there were 343 people on board the ferry, including five crew members.

[11:42 a.m.] Scenes from the crash:

[11:05 a.m.] NBC News reported that a total of 343 people, including five crew members, were on the ferry at the time of the crash. The passenger that was in critical condition was taken to Cornell Hospital to undergo surgery, the New York Police Department said.

According to NBC News, the National Transportation Safety Board announced it would launch a full investigation into the accident. The U.S. Coast Guard will also conduct an investigation, it announced. "The Coast Guard will do alcohol and drug testing of the captain--as is routine in accidents like this," Coast Guard spokeswoman Sondra Rivera told NBC 4 New York.

CBS News affiliate WCBS-TV reported that police and fire officials said at least 57 people were injured during the crash.

Richard Correa, a passenger on the commuter ferry, described the accident to WCBS-TV, "All of the sudden, the boat felt like it smashed into the wall. Dozens of passengers got thrown out of their seats, got thrown forward. Some were heading downstairs and just flew down the stairs and hit their heads on various polls and walls."

[10:45 a.m.] A commuter ferry from New Jersey heading towards Lower Manhattan crashed into a dock and left between 30 and 50 people injured on Wednesday morning police and fire officials announced. The ferry, which is operated by Seastreak Wall Street, "hit the deck" a FDNY spokesman told NBC News.

Seastreak President James Barker told NBC 4 New York, "There was a jolt when that occurred, throwing the people forward into their seats and the walls."

The New York Daily News reported that police and EMTs were dispatched to the South Street Pier 11 after the accident occurred at 8:43 a.m.

According to The Associated Press, one person is in critical condition with head injuries. Several patients were seen being carried out strapped to flat-board stretchers with their head and necks immobilized, the AP reported. The dock was then turned into an impromptu triage center with at least a dozen passengers, the NY Daily News reported.

The ferry sustained a sharp gash where it struck the dock, the AP reported.