Greek Cruise Passengers rescued

Rescuers evacuated 280 tourists from a cruise ship after it ran aground off the island of Poros, near Athens, on Thursday. When the distress call was made to the Greek authorities the vessel was taking on water, and a rescue helicopter and three coastguard boats went to the area after the ship hit a reef three nautical miles offshore. A Greek Marine Ministry official has confirmed that all the passengers and crew were safely brought back to Poros. The ministry added that the weather conditions were good and the seas were light – because it wasn’t clear what caused the incident, an investigation has been launched – the boat was a Greek registered vessel that takes passengers on day or weekend trips between the city of Piraeus and the nearby islands of Aegina, Poros and Hydra.