Skipper the only victim of Dutch ferry collision

Divers last night recovered the body of the skipper of a Dutch passenger ferry killed when his vessel collided with a German freighter on a busy waterway near Amsterdam yesterday.

National police spokesman Frans Zuiderhoek said the skipper, Hendrik Plomp, 56, is believed to be the only victim of the collision, which capsized the much smaller ferry.

"We're assuming there was nobody else on board at the time of the crash," he said, adding that no-one in the area had been reported missing. Divers had used sonar to find Mr Plomp's body.

Mr Zuiderhoek said a school holiday this week may be a major reason why the usually busy ferry was empty.

The incident took place near the town of Nieuwer Ter Aa, six miles south of Amsterdam.