AN INVESTIGATION IS underway into the circumstances in which a ferry crashed into the water while being lifted at the Galway docks yesterday.

Three men were injured after the Clann na nOileain ferry  fell 40 feet onto the Galway docks as it was being lifted by a crane.

The incident occurred around 10am yesterday morning as it was being lifted onto the Thor Gitta ship.

The Clann na nOileain was originally due to be hoisted on board the 7,000-tonne cargo ship Pantanal, along with a second ferry, Clan Eagle 1, but the Pantanal ran aground off the Connemara coast last month.

Both ferries are bound for Mauritius but they have been dogged by bad luck.

Clan Eagle 1 and Clann na nOileain cost between €5m and €6m to build and were owned by Jimmy Clancy, who went into financial difficulties and had to sell them on.  This was the second attempt to deliver the ferries to a new owner in Mauritius.

Although the ferry remained upright after the fall – which occurred when a cable snapped – the men on board received head injuries but were not badly injured, the Irish Independent reports.

The Galway City Tribune reports today that the three men were from South Connemara and were rushed within minutes to University Hospital Galway.

The Irish Times reports that the Health and Safety Authority and Galway Harbour Board have initiated inquiries, and the Marine Casualty Investigation Board has also been notified.

The investigation may probe into why the men were on board the ferry at the time, the Galway City Tribune says.

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