On January 6, Seventy passengers were rescued after a passenger ferry ran aground.
What happened?
The passenger ship, operated by Atlantico Line, was covering the route between Horta on the island of Faial, one of the nine islands that make up the Azores archipelago, and Madalena.
However, when the ferry was heading closer to the Madalena entrance it was pushed against the rocks in Azores. Strong waves pushed the vessel towards the rocks and water seeped into the vessel through the damaged hull.
Passengers rescued:
An alarm was raised and sixty one passengers were evacuated from the stricken ferry using a raft, that was towed to shore by a semi-inflatable dinghy.
Coastguards and marine police were immediately mobilised and ambulances were put on standby. The rescue operation lasted for around 30 minutes.
None injured:
Fortunately none of the passengers onboard the vessel were injured, although many people were nervous after the incident.
Horta port captain Rafael da Silva said, “I can confirm all 61 passengers and crew members are safe and sound and on dry land. It’s natural some people felt frightened as it’s an experience that can be traumatic as you can imagine, but everyone is okay which is the main thing”.
Did you subscribe for our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: Daily Mail
