Norway Cruise Rescue: Ship towed to port after hundreds of passengers airlifted

World
Europe

02:05

In northern Europe, a nightmare at sea is over for passengers aboard a luxury cruise ship in Norway. The Viking Sky's engines failed as it hit a storm while traveling to the port city of Stavanger. The harrowing rescue operation ended after the weather improved. CGTN's Toby Muse has the latest.

The Viking Sky trundles safely into harbor. This tranquil, almost picturesque scene belying the plight of more than 13-hundred people just hours earlier.

The Norwegian cruise ship, operated by Viking Ocean Cruises, had lost power in rough waters on Saturday. With its engines failing, the vessel lurched and listed, its passengers and crew, helpless.

RUTH McINTYRE PASSENGER "We were just in the room and things just started violently flying across the room, the furniture was sliding here and crashing into the wall and everything was falling around and we were being thrown around and it became very evident then that there was something dramatically wrong."

The ship issued a distress signal, triggering a dramatic rescue. Helicopters battled fierce winds round the clock to reach those on board. All in all, more than 400 people airlifted off, one at a time, as the weather continued to churn.

DEREK BROWN PASSENGER "I was a bit alarmed, saying 'Help, what's going to happen to the boat? What's going to happen to all our possessions? What if we were suddenly to go off, is the boat liable to capsize, sink or what?' We didn't know, so we were quite frightened."

The cruise liner encountered problems in a notoriously treacherous stretch of the Norwegian Sea. Viking said it did everything possible to ensure the safety of those involved throughout the ordeal.

Passengers have been full of praise for the crew, grateful that everyone made it out alive. Toby Muse, CGTN.