More than 400 people stranded after ferry runs aground in Finland
No preliminary accidents have been reported in the incident because the Viking Line ferry was crusing between Stockholm, Sweden, and Turku, Finland, with a short stopover deliberate in Mariehamn.
Social media movies from witnesses on the island confirmed stormy waves lashing towards the bow of the vessel because it sat wedged towards the shoreline.
Divers from the Finnish Coast Guard examined the hull of the stranded ship and mentioned it was not taking up water or leaking gasoline. The passengers have been advised that they might stay on board in a single day however can be rescued on Sunday.
“Tomorrow morning there will be plans to evacuate via tugboats,” Lt. Lars Saarinen of the West Finland Coast Guard District advised CNN.
Measuring 218 meters (about 238 yards) in size with 10 decks, the MS Viking Grace was constructed to hold shut to three,000 passengers, however capability on board has been restricted as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.
Viking operates a number of ferries a day between Turku and Stockholm, which is a couple of 10-hour journey one-way.
This is the second Viking Line ship to be grounded off the Aland islands, a Swedish-speaking area of Finland situated in the Baltic Sea, in the previous two months.
In September, one other Viking Line passenger ferry, the MS Amorella, additionally ran aground on the Aland Islands. Narrow passageways and shallow waters are a defining function of the waters across the islands, making it a difficult space in which to function huge ships.
