347 rescued from French cruise ship after fire on board
November 20, 2015 02:28
Britain rescued 347 passengers and crew from the French cruise ship Le Boreal after a fire broke out as it was sailing close to the British-ruled Falkland Islands, officials and the operator said today.
Two Royal Air Force Sea King helicopters and two other support helicopters winched 79 people from the deck of the ship and from two life rafts in the water when the incident occurred yesterday.
A Royal Navy vessel also brought two more lifeboats with more than 200 people on board to safety.
"The swift action taken by Royal Navy and Royal Air Force crews, working with civilian counterparts, saved many lives and prevented this developing into a human tragedy," Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said.
"We responded with everything we had yesterday to assist in what was an extremely complex and hazardous rescue operation in difficult conditions," said Darren Bone, commander of British forces for the South Atlantic Islands. The ship, operated by French company Ponant, was just north of the Falklands en route to South Georgia, a British territory in the South Atlantic, when the incident began.
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