Cruise ship in distress for over 18 hours off Norway’s coast, 900 still waiting to be evacuated
Almost 900 people and crew are still aboard the Viking Sky cruise ship over 18 hours since it sent out a mayday signal following engine failure off Norway’s rocky western coast. Passengers posted dramatic photos from inside.
The rescue team managed to restart three of the vessel’s four engines on later Sunday morning and currently the ship is being towed to the port city of Molde. Two tugs are following it, one in front, one behind.
Llego el primero y estamos a salvo intentando llegar a la costa pronto.#vikingsky pic.twitter.com/hOVpVhHEhZ
— Victor Gonzalez (@VictorM25245226) March 24, 2019
The liner initially had 1,373 passengers and crew on board, 915 of which were passengers from the UK and US.
Here’s my 83 year old dad being airlifted from the #vikingsky We are all off the ship safely! pic.twitter.com/FCToSn4L16
— Ryan Flynn (@RyanDFlynn11) March 24, 2019
At least 479 people have been evacuated via helicopters before the ship restarted the engines.
Update: Looking better! Offshore support ship Ocean Response has tow line attached to #VikingSky. Tug Vivax will attach to the stern and then they will head for Molde. Unconfirmed reports helo evac is paused as ships are about to head for port. Stay safe all! @MarineTraffic pic.twitter.com/pedzpJnujC
— Daniel Wilson ???????? ???????? (@danielw_rosala) March 24, 2019
Some people sustained injuries, and three of them are serious. Seventeen people have been hospitalized, according to local authorities.
Videos from passengers posted on social media show chairs and other furniture, as well as a piano, sliding back and forth across the floor as the ship is rocked from side to side due to stormy weather.
The ship was traveling from Bergen, Norway to London. It requested emergency help on Saturday as it started to drift towards the rocky western coast of Norway following the engine failure.
100 meters from a major disaster.
— L.O.M.P.E. (@Lompemann) March 24, 2019
After a total blackout, #VikingSky was drifting in a storm for 30 minutes before the anchors finally set 100 meters from shore, and then the crew managed to start one of the engines. @lookner pic.twitter.com/Drn3XAAC5c
Helicopters and rescue boats rushed to the scene but faced difficulties due to severe weather conditions. Officials say it’s too early to speculate on whether the weather was a cause of the incident. The Viking Sky, a vessel with gross tonnage of 47,800, was commissioned to the operator in 2017.
- Source : RT
