The stranded Norway cruise ship is back in port after losing power in the Norwegian Sea over the weekend. In case you missed it, the "Viking Sky" was carrying more than 13-hundred passengers and crew members when it started having engine trouble Saturday and a mayday call was issued.
But before the ship was towed into port? The company confirmed that 479 passengers had to be evacuated by helicopters. The rescues took place under difficult conditions that included wind gusts over 40 miles-per-hour and waves more than 26-feet.
Authorities say more than a dozen were hospitalized with injuries – and while the video you can see on the right shows how awful it was…it could have been MUCH worse. Hans Vik, who heads the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre for southern Norway, tells TV2 the vessel almost ran aground as well. "It was very nearly a disaster,” he explains. “The ship drifted to within 100 meters of running aground before they were able to restart one of the engines."