Hundreds of adventurists were left stranded on a large cruise ship after the vessel got stranded just off the coast of Norway amid rough seas.
According to the reports, The Viking Sky, a 745 feet long vessel operated by Viking Ocean Cruises, lost the engine and got stranded amid huge waves in the Norwegian Sea.
Following engine malfunction, the staff immediately sent out a mayday signal to request help for almost 1,400 passengers and crew members.
“It was very nearly a disaster. The ship drifted to within 100 meters of running aground before they were able to restart one of the engines,” Hans Vik, the lead of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in southern Norway, said in an interview with TV2.
On Saturday, dramatic rescues began taking place with stranded tourists getting airlifted onto the helicopters and being transported to the mainland.
By Sunday, the rescue services evacuated nearly 500 people. The rest of them were reunited with solid grounds after the ship managed to escape rough seas and dock at the port of Molde.
Fortunately, the incident didn’t result in fatalities. However, 20 people reportedly suffered injuries.
“It was frightening at first. And when the general alarm sounded it became VERY real,” Alexus Sheppard, one of the passengers, wrote.
In footage shared by passengers, the giant ship is seen getting thrown around by the waves with furniture rolling across the floor and slamming into the passengers.
“The last 24 hours have been very, very scary, very frightening. The best word I suppose is surreal,” Rodney Horgen, an American passenger, shared.
As Rodney added, a large wave managed to crash through a glass door and sweep his wife off the floor.
“When the windows and door flew open and the 2 meters of water swept people and tables 20 to 30 feet, that was the breaker. I said to myself, ‘This is it.’ I grabbed my wife but I couldn’t hold on. And she was thrown across the room. And then she got thrown back again by the wave coming back,” Rodney said.
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