By ELEANOR BLACK
Seven tourists and a bus driver were injured when a jetboat careered out of the water and into bush near Huka Falls yesterday.
The Huka Jet boat, about 1km upstream from its landing base, was racing through a narrow passage when it clipped a tree, the driver lost control and it ran aground about 9.45 am.
Most of the injured were Korean tourists with broken arms, sore chests and cuts to the head.
One Australian man was sent to hospital with a sore chest.
It is Huka Jet's first accident in 10 years on the Waikato River.
General manager Rob Jewell said the company was taking the accident "very seriously" and would cooperate fully with the Maritime Safety Authority investigation, which began yesterday.
The Commercial Jet Boat Association expressed regret over the accident but said the industry had an enviable safety record.
Deputy chairman Jerry Hohneck said last night that when accidents occurred the association and its members worked closely with the authority.
"All association members take their commitments to safety very seriously," he said.
"This is reflected in the low number of accidents. The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has investigated only 11 accidents in its entire existence and there has been only one fatality in the last five years, even though commercial jetboat operators carry more than 30,000 passengers every year."
Yesterday's was the second tourism accident to be investigated by the authority this week. On Monday Dutch tourist Brenda Kraaij was killed while whitewater rafting with Raftabout Wilderness Expeditions on the Rangitaiki River, near Murupara.
Eight injured in river jetboat crash
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