Survivors given lifejackets by Hudson River ferry crew after plane crash in New York - video of rescue
The crew of a New York ferry saved 19 people from the plane that ditched in the Hudson River after apparently hitting a flock of birds shortly after takeoff.
The Athena is a high-speed ferry that was about to make a run from New York to New Jersey when it reacted to the downed plane.
“They went right to work,” Interstate Navigation spokesman Chris Meyers told wpri.com. “They knew they had to get people out of the water.”
US Airways Flight 1549’s pilot Chesley Sullenberger radioed air traffic control to report that the plane’s engines had shut down before making what has been described as a miraculous landing on the bittercold Hudson.
Passengers then made their way to the wing of the aircraft before being rescued by a fleet of ferries, which included the Athena.
Watch footage of the attempt to salvage the plane below: