River Murray houseboat damaged in Paringa Bridge crash outside Renmark

A houseboat has found itself lodged under a bridge as it travelled along the River Murray, in the Riverland.

A rented houseboat that failed to navigate the swollen River Murray got stuck under the Paringa Bridge, triggering a delicate rescue mission.

The Kiwi Oz houseboat got stuck under the bridge downstream of Lock 6 near Renmark about 11.10am Monday.

The Renmark/Paringa State Emergency Service were tasked to the incident but the boat’s crew and owner managed to get the vessel free and moor it downstream.

Houseboat has lost its roof under the Paringa / Renmark Bridge. Picture: Lucie Helm

The aftermath of the collision with the bridge. Picture: Lucie Helm

Paramedics and police attended and passengers aboard were understood to be shocked but not seriously injured.

It is understood the bridge was to be raised at 2.30pm before the collision occurred.

“There was no interruption to services on the bridge and no reported injuries,” the local SES reported.

“This is a timely reminder to always follow navigational markings to ensure the safety of yourselves and other river users.”

Murray Darling Basin Authority data indicated the River Murray was at a height of 17.21m downstream of Lock 6 on Monday.

That level was about 2m below the 2022 flood peak in the regional city.

The river has risen just under 1m over the past month but remains about half a metre below its height at this time last year.

The latest River Murray flow report indicates the current 17.5 gigalitres a day is expected to decrease to about 17 GL by Friday.

The flow over Lock 1 is about 16 GL/day and is expected to stay at that flow rate over the coming week.

River Murray High Flow Advice notices are issued only when the flow rate at the South Australian border exceeds 40 GL/day.

Originally published as River Murray houseboat damaged in Paringa Bridge crash outside Renmark