A Viking cruise ship was severely damaged after crashing into a cargo ship while on a river cruise in the Netherlands.

The ship was carrying 171 passengers as it collided with the vessel near the Dutch city of Terneuzen just after midnight on Monday - sending passengers 'flying' and causing extensive damage to the hull.

The incident took place on the seventh day of the ten-day river cruise, while travelling from Antwerp to Ghent.

According to Viking, no-one was seriously injured in the collision - despite several passengers suffering minor injuries.

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The heavily damaged bow of the cruise ship as seen from the deck of an assisting rescue boat

The damaged dining area of the boat with broken glass all over the floor and chairs strewn across the deck

Pictures from on board show smashed glass throughout the dining room and chairs strewn across the deck of the boat.

One passenger, Tammy Miller, from Colorado wrote online in the aftermath that the incident was 'very scary and very chaotic'.

'We are okay. Some passengers had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance,' Ms Miller said.

'We were lucky to just have broken glass all over our room and a cut on my hand. It was very scary and very chaotic on board.

'We were immediately surrounded by rescue ships and coast guard ships. We were pushed and then towed to a port in Terneuzen, The Netherlands.

'We know this could have ended a lot differently and we are very thankful for this outcome.'

Another passenger Shelly Eitel, also from the US, said passengers 'went flying' after the impact.

'We went flying on our couches and chairs to the opposite side of the deck,' she said.

A photo shot from the deck of the ship as rescue boats swarmed around it to ferry passengers to safety

The bow of the cruise ship was covered in the aftermath after it was docked in Terneuzen

Viking confirmed that passengers would continue on their journey, albeit with a different itinerary.

A Viking spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We can confirm that just after midnight (CEST) on 1 April, Viking Idun and a cargo vessel collided while sailing from Antwerp to Ghent.

'No guests were injured. The ship sustained some damage near the bow and is currently docked in Terneuzen.

'Viking can confirm that guests booked on the 4 April departure will be on the Viking Longship, Viking Ullur.

'They will be spending their first two nights in Amsterdam, before continuing with the rest of their itinerary as planned. This has been fully communicated to the guests and we are providing them with regular updates.'

It comes just weeks after another Viking ship, the Viking Sky, nearly ran aground off the coast of Norway while carrying 1,400 passengers.