Passengers and crew evacuated after Antarctic iceberg collision

MOSCOW, November 23 (RIA Novosti) - Some 100 passengers and crew have been evacuated from a cruise ship in the Antarctic Ocean which began taking in water after striking an iceberg, the company which owns the vessel said on Friday.

"The M/S Explorer hit a lump of ice off King George Island this morning and the impact left the vessel with a crack in the hull the size of a fist. All passengers and crew have been evacuated, they are all accounted for and are safe and well and have been transferred to another vessel," Gap Adventures told the BBC.

The British Coastguard said the ship had sent out a distress call at 5:24 a.m. GMT.

Gap Adventures also said that 23 Britons, 17 Dutch, 10 Australians, 13 Americans and 10 Canadians were among the passengers.

The 2,400 metric ton ship, dating from 1969, was reportedly on a cruise around the Antarctic that was due to end by Nov. 26.

It is currently unclear whether the ship will remain afloat. It is reported to be listing close to the South Shetland Islands, about 120 km (75 miles) north of the Antarctic Peninsula.