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All rescued after cruise ship hits ice
Submerged ice ripped a hole in the ship's hull, but no injuries were reported.
Associated Press
Published November 24, 2007
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - A Canadian cruise ship struck submerged ice off Antarctica and began taking on water, but all 154 passengers and crew took to lifeboats Friday and were plucked to safety by a passing cruise ship. The ship sunk within hours of the collision. No injuries were reported, although passengers reportedly endured subfreezing temperatures for several hours as they waited in bobbing lifeboats for a Norwegian liner that took them to a Chilean military base in the region. "The ship ran into some ice. It was submerged ice and the result was a hole about the size of a fist in the side of the hull so it began taking on water ... but quite slowly," said Susan Hayes of G.A.P. Adventures of Toronto, which owns the stricken Explorer. Hayes said 91 passengers had been aboard, including at least 23 Britons, 17 Dutch, 13 Americans and 10 Canadians. The ship also carried nine expedition staff members and a crew of 54. Traveling to Antarctica is always risky, Hayes said. "There is ice in the area. Obviously it's a hazard of the area. But it's highly unusual (that the ship would hit the ice). This has never happened to us," she said.
[Last modified November 24, 2007, 00:33:19]
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