Turkish ferry hits anchored cargo ship

A Turkish ferry crashed into a Ukranian-flagged cargo ship anchored offshore Monday, slightly injuring 48 ferry passengers, officials said.

The ferry Salih Reis-4, although damaged, returned to dock in Istanbul shortly after the accident. Ambulances and helicopters took the injured to hospitals, the Maritime Affairs office said in a statement.

Tolga Uyar, a spokesman for the ferry company, said most of the injured hit their heads on seats or other objects when the boat hit the freighter Semyon Rudnev but no one suffered serious injuries.

"We panicked a lot. I am still trembling," Cigdem Mutlu, who was traveling with her 6-year-old daughter, told the Dogan news agency.

"We first heard screams of other passengers, then everybody started shouting and we were all pushed forward. Everybody took out life jackets. Many people had head injuries and some were bleeding."

The accident occurred near the entrance to the Bosporus, a narrow waterway that bisects Istanbul as part of the heavily trafficked sea link between the Black and the Mediterranean seas.