STOCKHOLM: A ferry carrying almost 300 people between Finland and Sweden ran aground off an island in the Baltic Sea on Sunday but nobody was hurt, said Viking Line, the company which operates the ship.

“The situation is stable. No injuries have been identified,” the company said in a statement on its website, adding that passengers were being evacuated with the help of the Finnish authorities.

Images on social media showed the large cruise liner stuck just off a wooded islet among the picturesque Aland islands, an autonomous region of Finland 70 kilometers (40 miles) from Sweden.

The Finnish authorities have yet to confirm whether the operation to rescue the ship’s 200 passengers and 80 crew is complete.

Video clips on Twitter showed passengers in orange life jackets as helicopters circled above the ship.

The ship was sailing a route between Turku in Finland and the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2020