Viking Ocean Cruises’ Viking Sky cruise ship began evacuating 1,300 passengers and crew after sending a mayday call off Norway’s western coast on Saturday.
The Viking Sky was on a 12-day trip that began on March 14 when the cruise ship experienced engine propulsion problems after a bad storm hit Norway’s coastal regions causing high winds and stormy seas.
The ship has anchored in Hustadsvika Bay so that the high-risk helicopter rescue evacuation can take place. High waves are preventing rescue workers from using life boats or other vessels to get passengers to shore.
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The evacuation is likely to be slow and dangerous as passengers need to be hoisted from the cruise ship one-by-one to five available helicopters, according to Norwegian public broadcaster, NRK. By 6 p.m. local time, only 100 people had been rescued.
“It’s a demanding exercise, because they (passengers) have to hang in the air under a helicopter and there’s a very, very strong wind,” witness Odd Roar Lange told NRK at the site.
Evacuated passengers are being taken to a sports complex and accommodation is being made for them in local hotels, according to the BBC.
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