Ferry with 14 passengers on board makes emergency return to Portsmouth

An Elizabeth River Transit Ferry carrying 14 passengers between Portsmouth and Norfolk had to return to terminal after it began to smoke Saturday afternoon, according to Lt. Michael Long with the U.S. Coast Guard.

Four crew members were also on board at the time, who Long said took the appropriate actions in getting the passengers back to safety at the High Street terminal in Portsmouth.

Watch: Boat runs aground in Virginia Beach

One person was being assessed by medical professionals, but we don’t know at this time if it was related to the smoke incident.

The Coast Guard is "trying to determine what the cause was at this time, but it appears it was mechanical," Long said.

While the apparently mechanical failure did not start a fire, it did create a lot of smoke through friction.

"Having a fire, having a fire while you're [in] a boat on the water is a situation that's bad and could get worse," Long said.

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