418 Rescued By Helicopter After Rough Seas

Emergency Evacuation of Passengers from Viking Sky Cruise Ship

418 Rescued by Helicopter After Rough Seas

Passengers Arrive Safely at Port After Helicopter Airlifts

Rescuers evacuated 418 people by helicopter from the Viking Sky cruise ship on Saturday after the vessel became stranded in rough seas off Norway. The Coast Guard released dramatic onboard video footage of the medical evacuation from Celebrity Eclipse on Friday, showing the injured passengers being winched off the ship and flown to nearby hospitals.

The Viking Sky arrived at port on Sunday after a harrowing series of helicopter airlifts. The ship was carrying approximately 1,300 passengers and crew members when it experienced engine problems and became stranded. The rough seas made it impossible for lifeboats to be used, so the helicopter evacuation was necessary.

The evacuation began with the injured wet and cold passengers being winched off the ship individually and taken in batches of 15 to 20 to the nearby city.

All of the passengers have now been safely evacuated from the Viking Sky, and the ship has been towed to port.