Wild videos show cruise ship chaos as rough seas prompt an evacuation
Incredible videos shared on Twitter are showing the wild rough seas that have led to the evacuation of 1,300 people from a cruise ship off the coast of Norway.
The ship, Viking Cruise's "Viking Sky," sent a distress signal Saturday afternoon local time, reporting "engine problems in bad weather," according to CNN. And videos from both inside the cruise ship and from the shore show how bad the seas are.
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Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
The BBC reports that at least one of the ship's engines was successfully restarted, enabling the Viking Sky to move a bit further from the rocky shore. Not surprisingly, the BBC also notes, "The area is known as the Hustadvika and is reportedly one of the most dangerous stretches of Norway's coast."
SEE ALSO:El Niño has arrived. What does that mean for weather in 2019?Multiple ships and helicopters are taking part in the evacuation; the Joint Rescue Centre for Southern Norway shared video of the rescue to YouTube.
To complicate matters, a cargo ship with nine people on board hit the same rough waters as the Viking Sky and some of the rescue helicopters had to be diverted for assistance.
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A member of the rescue crew told Reuters that eight people had suffered minor injuries and that the rescue attempt will take a while, continuing into the night and maybe even into Sunday. Photos of passengers waiting for their turn at evacuation also hit social media.
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Tweet may have been deleted
Mashable reached out to Viking Cruises for a statement and updates on the ongoing rescue and received the following message in response:
We can confirm that on March 23rd at 2pm (Norwegian time) the vessel Viking Sky a 47,800 tonne ship travelling from Tromsø to Stavanger, carrying 915 guests and 458 crew experienced a loss of engine power off the coast of Norway near Molde. We are working closely with the relevant authorities and all operational procedures were followed in line with international regulations. In addition Viking has dispatched an operational task force, including the company’s owner, to Molde.Our first priority was for the safety and wellbeing of our passengers and our crew, and in close cooperation with the Norwegian Coast Guard, the captain decided to evacuate all guests from the vessel by helicopter. The ship is proceeding on its own power and a tugboat is on site. The evacuation is proceeding with all necessary caution. A small number of non-life threatening injuries have been reported. Guests are being accommodated in local hotels when they arrive back on shore, and Viking will arrange for return flights for all guests.
The statement also added that anyone with questions or concerns about specific guests aboard the Viking Sky can find more information right here.
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