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ITN
Ship crew in channel rescue
Ship crew in channel rescue
The crew of a cargo vessel on the verge of capsizing in the English channel has been evacuated in an Anglo-French effort.It was launched after Brixham Coastguard was informed that the Greek-registered Ice Prince was in difficulties mid-channel.The vessel was heading for Alexandria and is thought to be 35 miles south east of Start Point and drifting at a 40-degree angle without power.The Maritime & Coastguard Agency said that a 41-year-old Greek with a broken leg had been airlifted to hospital while other crew members were being taken to shore either by helicopter or lifeboat.A spokesman for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) said the rescue crew had operated "at the very limit" to evacuate the ship.He said: "To stage a rescue like this they would have needed to position their lifeboat right next to the ship and take the crew off one by one."The crew are all volunteers and you can only imagine how hard this rescue was."The Ice Prince was carrying 5,258 tonnes of sawn timber on board although there are no reports of any cargo being lost at sea.The weather was said to be clear but with rough seas and winds of up to force seven.Brixham Coastguard coordinated the rescue effort with the French coastguard at Cross Joburg.A French coastguard tug, the Abeille Liberte, was sent to the scene from Cherbourg.The RNLI sent two boats from Salcombe and Torbay and were returning to Brixham in Devon with the rescued crew.© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.
ITN | January 14, 2008
