Five German schoolchildren have been injured in a collision between a cargo ship and a sailing boat on the Waddenzee.

A class of 25 children were on board the chartered sailing boat, accompanied by five adults and a dog, when the incident happened at around 9.30pm on Sunday off the coast of Harlingen.

The five wounded children suffered minor head injuries and were checked over by ambulance staff at the scene. Two KNRM lifeboats went out to the scene, one of which brought the children to shore.

Both vessels are said to have sustained damage in the collision, but no details of how the accident happened have been released.