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Newport Beach's Balboa Pier opens after Yacht crash
The Balboa Pier in Newport Beach, Orange County, California.
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Ken Lund/ Flickr
)
Balboa Pier in Newport Beach re-opened Monday for Labor Day visitors. The pier had been temporarily closed after a 55-foot yacht smashed onto it Sunday night.
The crash occurred around 8 p.m. Sunday after the yacht lost power amid foggy conditions. Newport Beach Fire Captain Brett Sutherland said the yacht cracked two of the pier's pillars.
"On our arrival, there was five lifeguard personnel-- two of them on boat, three in the water-- with the boat being anchored and it drifted onto the Balboa Pier and impinging on the pier," he said. "And the surf was about 6-foot self swell . I had my crew head into the water and there were 12 victims removed from the boat through the surf line. "
After examining it, engineers determined the pier was still safe for visitors.
None of the victims on the boat were injured, nor was anyone on the pier.
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