skip to main content

Four Irish rescued from stricken vessel

MV Explorer - Four Irish rescued from stricken ship
MV Explorer - Four Irish rescued from stricken ship

The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that four Irish citizens were among the 154 passengers and crew of a cruiseliner, which hit an iceberg in the Antarctic this morning.

The four, three passengers and one male crew member, are all safe and well.

Gap Adventures, which owns the ship, said 91 passengers, nine guides and 54 crew members were safely evacuated to lifeboats and then to another ship.

The company said 23 Britons, 17 Dutch, 10 Australians, 13 Americans and 10 Canadians were among the 154 on board.

The remaining nationalities of the rescued tourists are, Danish, Swiss, Belgian, Japanese, French, German and Chinese, said the Toronto-based tour company.

The MS Explorer was abandoned during a rescue operation after the vessel was holed and began to take on water.

The captain and first officer were the last to leave the ship; they joined the rest of the passengers and crew on board a Norwegian-registered cruiseship, the Nord Norge, which had been diverted to the scene.

That vessel has since docked in southern Argentina.

A DFA spokesperson said the Irish Embassy in Buenos Aires has confirmed that the four Irish people are in good condition and the family of one of them is being given consular assistance.

The DFA is trying to establish contact with the families of the three others.

The ship, built in 1969 and refitted in 1993, was carrying 100 passengers and 54 crew on a cruise that was due to end by Monday.

The Explorer usually makes two-week cruises around the Antarctic, costing around €5,500 per cabin.