A total of 154 on board a luxury cruiseliner which sank after
hitting an iceberg in the Antarctic Ocean were rescued on
Friday.
The stricken Explorer is now listing at 45 degrees near the
South Shetland Islands, off the Argentinian coast, Sky news
reported.
The MV Explorer,
formerly the Lindblad Explorer, is pictured in an undated handout
photo.
The 100 passengers and 54 crew were evacuated on lifeboats and
after enduring temperatures of minor 5 degree Celsius. Among them
were 24 British, four Irish, 14 Americans, 12 Canadians and 10
Australians.
They were then ferried to cruiseship the Nord Norge, which was
one of five boats sent to the scene, before sending back to Port
Ushuaia, Argentina.
Nord Norge captain Arnvid Hansen said, "Everybody is in a good
position. People are cold but there is no hypothermia."
Two crew stayed on board for a time to pump out water from the
Explorer, which suffered a 25cm by 10cm rupture in its hull after
hitting the iceberg. The cruiseliner is expected to sink into the
2,000 feet depths.
Passengers and crew
evacuated from a sinking cruiseliner were being picked up from
their lifeboats after another cruise ship arrived on the scene, an
English coastguard spokesman has said.
The Explorer, which set out from Ushuaia on the southern tip of
Argentina on Nov. 11 for a 19-day trip through Drake Passage, is
owned and chartered by Canada-based Gap Adventures.
The vessel, one of the best-known specialist cruise ships in the
world, has run aground before in Antarctica. It grounded on rocks
off Weincke Island in December 1979.
(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2007)
