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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Dave Burke

BREAKING: Viking Sky: Stricken cruise ship finally arrives at port after hours stranded

A stricken cruise ship which suffered engine failure with 1,300 people onboard has arrived safely into port.

The Viking Sky vessel docked at Molde in Norway, more than 12 hours after the terrifying drama which saw 16 people injured.

More than 400 people were airlifted to safety from the ship, but it was able to continue when three of its four engines were restored.

Shocking footage last night showed furniture being flung around as the ship veered dangerously from side-to-side.

And pictures from inside the cruise liner show the scale of the damage suffered.

Janet Jacob, who was one of the first to be airlifted to safety, said it felt "like a tornado".

Damage inside the Viking Sky cruise ship following the drama (Cruise Law News)
Dramatic pictures show the state of the luxury ship after the terrifying ordeal (Cruise Law News)

  Viking Sky: Stricken cruise ship being towed to shore after three engines restart

She told Norwegian broadcaster NRK: "I was afraid. I've never experienced anything so scary."

Large panels and doors were ripped off the outside of the ship, while inside objects were thrown everywhere leaving scenes of chaos.

Rescue services airlifted 479 people to safety from the luxury cruise liner and began towing the vessel to a nearby port.

INSIDE THE STRICKEN CRUISE SHIP 'VIKING SKY'

Viking Sky: Brits relive "frightening" airlift rescue from Norwegian cruise ship 

The Viking Sky, with 1,373 passengers and crew on board, sent out a mayday signal on Saturday as it drifted towards land in the Norwegian Sea.

The airlift of passengers, many of them elderly, from the Viking Cruises ship by helicopter was halted on Sunday morning as two tugboats started steering the vessel towards the nearest port.

ounder and chairman of Viking Cruises, Norwegian billionaire Torstein Hagen, told Norwegian TV2: "They've had a bit of a shocking experience.

Terrified passengers get evacuated from the stranded Norwegian ship as water pours onto the decks
Viking Sky drifts towards land off the coast of Norway (Frank Einar Vatne/EPA-EFE/REX)

"Most of our passengers are senior citizens... imagine what it's like to hang there on that wire.

"It must be a terrible experience but they seem to have handled it very well."

The 915 passengers were mainly from the United States and Britain, the rescue services said.

There were also Canadians and Australians on board, among others, the cruise company said.

Furniture was flung around as waves battered the vessel (Cruise Law News)

Some 20 injured passengers had been taken to hospital, Viking Cruises said, while others had only minor injuries.

One was taken to St. Olav's Hospital in Trondheim and others were taken to local hospitals.

"Many have also been traumatised by the experience and need care when they arrive on shore," the Norwegian Red Cross said.

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