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Several injured when Hornblower whale-watching ship strikes San Diego wharf

A 150-foot whale-watching ship crashed into a pier in San Diego Thursday afternoon, injuring seven people and damaging the ship's hull and a walkway, according to multiple reports.

There were 144 people on board the Adventure Hornblower when it collided with the wharf next to the downtown Broadway Pier, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune and KPBS.

Crew members reported a mechanical malfunction stuck the ship's throttle in the forward position before the crash happened around 12:50 p.m., the Union-Tribune reported.

Seven passengers suffered injuries ranging from minor to moderate, according to the newspaper. Medics took three people to the hospital. Officials said their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.

“I saw it coming in fast,” passenger Osmond DeSousa told the Union-Tribune. He, his wife and their teenage son were visiting San Diego from New Jersey.

“It hit the dock, bounced off and continued too fast to stop. The woman next to me fell, she was hurt pretty bad,” he said. “The crew were walking on the deck yelling 'Brace yourselves or hold onto something.”

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the accident, according to KPBS.