December 11, 2009

Authorities say nearly 30 passengers were stranded on White's Ferry in the Potomac River for about three hours when the boat was snagged by a tree floating downstream.

After ferry operators tried to free the boat, emergency workers were called to the ferry crossing between Poolesville, Md., and Leesburg, Va., around 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

Montgomery County fire department spokesman Asst. Chief Scott Graham says a large branch caught the boat about 15 yards from the Maryland side of the river. He says the ferry frequently encounters debris but rarely gets stuck for so long.

Crew members tried to cut the tree but Graham says just as the fire department prepared to launch rescue boats around 7:30 p.m., the boat came free.