River cruise boat breaks loose in winter storm, smashes into footbridge

By CNN

Published January 14, 2024 8:14 AM

KPTV

By Anne Murphy

CASCADE LOCKS, Oregon (KPTV) — The Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge river cruise boat’s moorings broke in the Cascade Locks Marina Saturday morning and crashed into a footbridge.

The boat drifted in high winds from the current blizzard conditions in the Gorge and into the old locks east of its dock, causing significant damage to a footbridge that spans the old lock channel and connects the Cascade Locks Marina parking lot to Thunder Island.

It also destroyed a fishing platform owned by a local Native American fishing family. It is reportedly a high priority to replace the platform quickly according to the Port of Cascade Locks.

The boat is now safely moored. The Marina Park area is closed until further notice while crews assess the damage to the footbridge.

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