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Evacuation under way from ferry in distress off Norwegian coast

Eight people received various injuries under yet unknown circumstances
Viking Sky passengers waiting for evacuation Michal Stewart via AP
Viking Sky passengers waiting for evacuation
© Michal Stewart via AP

MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/. Passengers are being evacuated from Norway’s Viking Sky ferry in distress off the country’s More og Romsdal county, the Verdens Gang newspaper said on Saturday night citing rescue sources.

Borghild Eldoen, a spokeswoman for the Joint Rescue Centre for Southern Norway, said that so far, 139 out of about 1,300 people on board have already been evacuated.

"We will keep evacuating people throughout the night," she said, adding that the majority of passengers on board were citizens of the United Kingdom and the United States.

According to the NRK state TV, eight people received various injuries under yet unknown circumstances. Three of them were seriously wounded and taken to hospital.

According to the Russian embassy in Norway, four Russian citizens were members of the cruise ship’s multinational crew.

One of the engines of the Viking Sky ferry, en route from the Arctic city of Tromso to southwestern Norway’s Stavanger, broke down during a storm on Saturday afternoon. The vessel is currently anchored about 5 kilometers from the Norwegian coast.