site.btaAll 186 Passengers Evacuated from Cruise Ship Stranded on Danube near Vidin

Bulgarian border police completed the evacuation of all 186 passengers from the Swiss-flagged cruise ship Viking Ullur after it ran aground on the Danube near Vidin, Border Police told BTA on Tuesday. The vessel was stranded at river kilometre 817, opposite Gomotartsi and about 25 km upstream from Vidin.

The ship ran aground early Tuesday due to low water levels. It was carrying 186 passengers from EU countries and 52 crew members.

Passengers ran out of food and drinking water after the vessel, which had been scheduled to take on supplies in Vidin, was unable to reach the port. The ship’s agent dispatched the French-flagged Vivaldi to pick them up, but it could not get close enough, prompting Border Police to intervene.

After clearance from the River Supervision Directorate in Lom and a further assessment, the passengers were evacuated by a patrol boat from the Vidin Border Police Vessels Base.

Passengers’ luggage was still being transferred on Tuesday. The fate of the 52 crew members remained unclear, as Viking Ullur could stay stranded for an extended period depending on navigation conditions and refloating options, Border Police said.

Initial reports placed the stranded cruise ship on the Danube near Salcia in Mehedinti County, southwestern Romania. It left Drobeta-Turnu Severin on Monday evening bound for Vidin, Bulgaria. Several attempts to refloat it on Monday evening and Tuesday morning failed.