When a river cruise goes horribly wrong

River cruising is a delightfully chilled way to explore Europe - with vessels docking in the centre of fascinating destinations.

No waves. No seasickness. No massive crowds waiting to disembark on a tender.

But river cruising can still be dangerous, as some unfortunate travellers discover this weekend.

At least 17 people suffered injuries after a river cruise ship slammed into a wall on the River Danube, Travel Mole reports.

The incident happened at the pretty town of Aschach an der Donau (above) in Upper Austria.

Local media reported that it is thought the vessel lost power and crashed into a wall beside a lock.

The Bulgarian-flagged vessel was carrying around 142 mostly German passengers from Passau in Bavaria to the Austrian city of Linz.

Officials said 11 people were taken to hospital with various injuries, while another six with minor injuries were treated at the scene.

The Kronen Zietung newspaper reported that some objects on board toppled over and were thrown around after the accidents. Many passengers were having dinner in the dining room and some fell off their chairs due to the violent jolts. Others suffered cuts from broken crockery and glasses.

"Sixteen ambulances and an emergency doctor were ordered to the scene of the accident and firfeighters illuminated the terrain," said District Rescue Chief Philipp Wiatschka.

"Fortunately, there was no panic on board. "We separated the passengers on the ship into injured and uninjured and transported them to hospitals in Wels and Linz."

The Plantours ship was later able to continue its journey to Linz.

Image: Upper Austria Tourism

Look out! That's a motorbike on the runway

Airline pilots have several issues that they confront on a regular basis. Shifting winds, thunderstorms, flocks of birds, heavy clouds among them.

But one obstacle they do not often have to deal with is a motorbike on the runaway when they land.

In a tragedy earlier this month an Airbus A320 belonging to TAP (Air Portugal) collided with a motorcycle shortly after landing in Conakry, in the African nation of Guinea, after a flight from Lisbon.

Both the rider and his pillion passenger died in the incident, reportedly after being sucked into the aircraft's engines.

Flight TP1492 landed at Conakry’s Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport last week and its right engine collided with the motorcycle that was crossing the runway.

The bike rider was reported to have been a security officer at the airport but it was not known what he was doing on the runway.

While the aircraft’s engine suffered significant damage, there were no reported injuries among the passengers and crew onboard, although the return flight was cancelled.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Guinea (AGAC) has commenced an investigation into the incident.

TAP said in a statement: “Passengers and crew are all fine. All safety procedures were followed, but even so, it was not possible to avoid the accident. TAP is naturally collaborating with the local authorities to investigate the circumstances."