Doctor: Australia boat collision claims 6th victim

By ROHAN SULLIVAN Associated Press Writer

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - A sixth person died of injuries suffered when a fishing trawler collided with an overcrowded boat in Sydney Harbor, authorities said Friday.

Four women and a man died when the vessels collided in the dark shortly before 3 a.m. on Thursday, police and hospital officials said. Another man died later from severe head injuries he suffered in the collision, Dr. Ray Raper, head of intensive care at Royal North Shore Hospital, said Friday.

The U.S. consulate in Sydney identified one of the victims as 25-year-old Jessica Savanna Holloway, a U.S. citizen. It did not provide further details, but local media reported that she was from Texas.

All the dead were aboard the 23-foot half-cabin cruiser, which was licensed to carry eight people but had 14 aboard when the crash occurred. Eight others, who were also on the cruiser, were injured in the crash

The collision happened near Bradley's Head in a favored sightseeing area of the harbor, home to Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge landmarks. Once a bustling commercial port, the harbor is now dominated by pleasure craft, passenger ferries and cruise ships.

Police declined to speculate about the cause of the collision, but said alcohol, overcrowding, speed and whether the victims were wearing lifejackets would be investigated.