Norway: Cruise ship catches fire leaves at least two dead - Polidicks

[QUOTE]Passengers and crew on board one of the Hurtigruten ships that sail along Norway’s coast were evacuated Thursday morning after fire broke out in the vessel’s engine room. The number of persons injured was rising. The MS Nordlys is one of the vessels in the Hurtigruten fleet that sails north and south along the coast of Norway. PHOTO: Hurtigruten The cause of the fire on board the Hurtigruten vessel MS Nordlysremained unclear, with the shipping line’s officials saying they concentrated first and foremost on getting passengers off the vessel. Hurtigruten officials said there were 262 persons on board the Nordlysincluding 227 passengers and a crew of 55. Around 100 passengers were evacuated in the vessel’s lifeboats before the vessel managed to make its way into the west coast city of Ålesund with assistance from emergency vessels. Other passengers and crew were being taken off the vessel on improvised gangways from the vessel to the pier and later to a local hotel. Two persons injured in the fire also had been taken to land, Hurtigruten spokesman Ragnar Nordrum told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). Three more injuries were later confirmed and by noon the total number of injured was set at 12. All the injured were being treated at Ålesund Sjukehus, the local hospital. Nordrum said he couldn’t confirm a report on VG Nett that two persons were missing. [B]‘Dramatic’ [/B]Smoke could be seen billowing from the vessel’s smokestack as it neared Ålesund. The vessel was able to sail to the pier, but the scene was described as dramatic. “The vessel was lacking control, but with the help of an emergency vessel it was able to get to the quay,” reported Berit Susanne Kjølås of NRK. Fire trucks, ambulances and other emergency vehicles were waiting on the pier for the vessel, which managed to tie up around 10am. Two rescue helicopters had also been called before the vessel made it into port. The situation was described as “serious” after what the head of search and rescue services for southern Norway, Stein Solberg, called a fire of “undetermined” cause broke out in the engine. The fire continued to burn after the ship berthed. The smoke from the vessel was so thick that it covered most of Ålesund’s downtown area, known for the art-deco architecture of its buildings constructed in the early 1900s after the city itself had been hit by a devastating fire. Police were asking residents to turn off their ventilation systems and keep windows closed, and later ordered an evacuation of portions of the city center. Was on its way north to Kirkenes Hurtigruten’s Nordlys was heading northbound on its normal route from Bergen to Kirkenes. The fleet of Hurtigruten vessels leave every day from either Bergen or Kirkenes, calling at scores of ports big and small during the course of the six-day journey. The vessel is part of the relatively new fleet of passenger ferries that resemble small cruise ships. It was built in 1994 at the Stralsund shipyard in Germany and can carry 691 passengers with overnight accommodation for 475.[/QUOTE] This is the translated news from the source [URL="http://www.newsinenglish.no/2011/09/15/fire-forces-hurtigruten-evacuation/"]here[/URL]. Norwegian sources say at least two are confirmed dead and many more are injured. This is a developing story. [IMG]http://gfx.dagbladet.no/labrador/181/181404/18140474/jpg/active/646x_13197743.jpg[/IMG] And a video of the route the ship normally goes, timelapsed in 5 minutes; [video=youtube;mmabnL32cVo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmabnL32cVo[/video]

Why is all this shit happening to us now? :( [editline]15th September 2011[/editline] Uh-oh, now it's taking in water

[B]UPDATE:[/B] Like Runar said, now it's sinking.

The fire was probably caused by muslims.

Holy shit, hope they get everyone off just fine. Let's also hope the fire gets contained fine and she doesn't sink. D:[QUOTE=Runar;32300751]Why is all this shit happening to us now? :( [editline]15th September 2011[/editline] Uh-oh, now it's taking in water[/QUOTE]Yeah, what the fuck is up with things lately?

[QUOTE=Runar;32300751]Why is all this shit happening to us now? :( [editline]15th September 2011[/editline] Uh-oh, now it's taking in water[/QUOTE] On the plus side, that'll put the fire out.

[QUOTE=Zeke129;32301095]On the plus side, that'll put the fire out.[/QUOTE] Nope, this is Norway. Our water is oil!

If only they had some water.

I work on another Hurtigrute in the summer, people were in shock when i called to ask how they were doing :(

[QUOTE=Runar;32300751]Why is all this shit happening to us now? :([/QUOTE] Well, in return this is one of the safest, most free countries in the world with an economy that keeps growing rapidly even when much of the rest of the world's economy isn't. So despite a tad bad weather with a drizzle of terrorism and the occasional accident I'm still privileged to live here, and I don't feel any less safe.

[QUOTE=Runar;32301279]Nope, this is Norway. Our water is oil![/QUOTE] Oh shit does BP have rigs there too?

Vikings raided the ship.

and then a plane crashed into the boat