Dramatic experience of passengers during a failed cruise

The "Viking Heaven", which was anchored on Saturday, was towed by a boat to the front and another to the rear, relief services said via their Twitter account.

Until the time the towing operation began, 463 out of the 1,300 people on the boat had been transferred to shore, of which 17 were hospitalized.

According to Norwegian public television, three people traveling in the "Viking Sky" are in serious condition, reported the EFE news agency.

Norwegian shipping authorities were warned Saturday at 1 pm GMT of the warning that the ship was in trouble when engine problems were reported.

From there, a rescue operation was articulated on the ground, initially involving the intervention of several ships and helicopters. Four hours after the evacuation began, they began rescuing groups of 10 to 15 pbadengers.

The rescue operation began yesterday and was complicated by strong waves and high winds.

The "Viking Sky" sent a distress signal Saturday because of engine problems, while it was about five kilometers from the Hustadvika coast.

On Sunday, mid-morning, Norwegian rescue services announced the reactivation of three of the ship's engines. The cruise ship therefore began to sail again alone.

The ship was traveling between Tromso (north) and Stavanger (south) with 1,373 pbadengers, 915 pbadengers – mainly from the United States and the United Kingdom – and a crew of 458 people.

READ MORE