10 Kayakers Hit by Ferry in NYC, 5 Injured

— -- A man suffered a partially severed arm after a New York City ferry collided with a group of ten kayakers in the Hudson River Tuesday evening, injuring five.

The ferry departed from Pier 79 near 39th Street in Manhattan and hit the kayakers just before 6 p.m. Officers pulled 10 people from the water, the NYPD confirmed.

The water taxi impacted two of the kayaks, sending multiple people into the water.

Five kayakers were taken to area hospitals, police said. Four people suffered minor injuries, while one person sustained a serious arm injury.

Police say they encountered the seriously injured man lying on top of a kayak in a pool of blood, in and out of consciousness with a serious gash on his arm that left the bone exposed.

Manhattan Kayak Company, the group in charge of the river excursion, confirmed that one of its employees sustained serious injuries in the incident. They refereed to the man as "a veteran guide who learned to paddle on the local waters here in NYC," and added, "we are extremely relieved to hear that he is in good spirits."

All 451 people on board the ferry were accounted for, according to an NYPD dispatch call. One of the injured had a "severe laceration" to his left arm, while another suffered an injury to his head, according to the call.

The Hudson River is used for both recreational and commercial vessels, according to the NYPD. Officials are looking into who had the right of way and whether the setting sun affected visibility on the water.

"Both parties are responsible to stay out of each other's way," said NYPD Inspector David Driscoll.

The cause of the collision is currently under investigation, and the skipper of the ferry is still being interviewed, police said. The ferry's captain blew a 0.00 for both the drug and alcohol test, police added.

It is not clear where the ferry was heading when it collided with the kayakers, police said.