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More than 1,000 stranded on cruise ship off coast of Norway
Published 18:07 24 Mar 2019 GMT
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Scary scenes
Rescuers are working to rescue 1,300 people stranded on a cruise ship off the west coast of Norway.
The Viking Sky suffered engine failure on Saturday and sent out a distress signal after it began drifting towards land in bad weather. Three of the four engines on the ship have restarted, but rescue services say they have begun to attach tow-cables to the ship from tugboats to begin hauling the vessel towards the port in Molde.
So far, more than 300 passengers have been rescued from the stricken ship overnight via helicopters. The process is slow as only one helicopter at a time can airlift passengers from the ship.
Police said 16 people have been taken to hospital after being airlifted from the Viking Sky, three of them with serious injuries.
Air evacuations have now ceased while the ship is towed back to shore.
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Most of those on board are said to be British or US citizens.
It's thought that five helicopters and a number of rescue ships were drafted in to provide support.
However, one of the rescue ships also lost engine power and the "brutal" conditions meant lifeboats were forced to turn back.
Video posted on social media show furniture sliding around inside the ship and debris falling from the ceiling as it is hit by waves on the notorious stretch of water, known as Hustadvika.
“We were having lunch when it began to shake. Window panes were broken and water came in. It was just chaos. The trip on the helicopter, I would rather forget. It was not fun,” American passenger John Curry told NRK on Saturday.
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