Norway cruise ship: Brits who narrowly escaped disaster tell how they were rushed to safety

Brits who narrowly escaped disaster onboard a stricken cruise ship off the coast of Norway have told how they were rushed to safety.

Two hundred Britons were among the 1,300 people on the Viking Sky ship when it lost engine power after being caught in stormy seas and high winds on Saturday.

The liner was hit by 26ft waves and 50mph wind gusts causing it to sway violently close to rocks, prompting a dramatic rescue.

Some 479 passengers were airlifted to shore. Viking Cruises said 20 people suffered injuries and were receiving treatment in Norway.

Passengers described conditions as like “being on the Titanic.”

Denise and Michael Tozer, both 64, of Harpenden, Hertfordshire, were among the first 100 to be airlifted to safety.

Mrs Tozer suffered brusing to her face and needed several stitches when she was knocked over on the seventh deck, close to the ship’s swimming pool.

“We were sitting there and it was rocking we could hear the bulk doors being shut and no engine, we really thought our time had come,” she told the Daily Mail.

“We could tell we were very close to the rocks because we could see them. It [the ship] just went – chairs, tables, crockery, big pot plants smashed in front of me, I went with.

“We were frightened we would fall out of the window into the sea. Thoughts go through your head about what could have happened, but we were lucky.”

Roberta Thake, of Lymington, Hampshire, said the most frightening part was hanging beneath the helicopter and being winched to safety in driving winds and rain.

“It was really windy – one of the crew had to hold you because you could have been blown to the side,” she said.

“I thought to myself I had to stay calm, perhaps because I was travelling on my own I had to look after myself… it could have been so different. It was a close call.”

Norwegian officials have now opened an investigation into why a cruise ship set sail despite storm warnings.

Dag S. Liseth of Norway's Accident Investigations Board said: "the high risk which the ship, its passengers and crew were exposed to made us decide to investigate the incident."

The Viking Sky is now docked in the port city of Molde.