Number Of People Evacuated From Cruise Ship Off Norway's Coast Reaches 371 - Reports

MURMANSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2019) A total of 371 people out of over 1,300 passengers who were on board the Viking Sky cruise ship, which came to an abrupt stop off Norway's western coast as a result of engine failure, have been airlifted from the vessel, local media reported on Sunday.

The cruise ship experienced engine problems on Saturday after getting caught in a storm. Previous media reports indicated that a total of 260 people have been evacuated from the vessel.

In the meantime, 17 evacuated passengers have been transported to hospitals, with three of them having serious injuries, the NRK broadcaster reported.

According to the broadcaster, the evacuation process takes a long time because helicopters can take only 10-15 people on board at a time.

The rescue services said that the ship was around 900 meters (984 yards) away from the shore when it was finally moored. �