Deadly Norway cruise ship fire caught on video

GlobalPost

A cruise ship caught fire, killing two crew members and forcing more than 200 passengers to evacuate off Norway’s coast, according to news reports.

Police suspect an accidental explosion in the engine room of the cruise ship, MS Nordlys, the AP reports.

Nine people on board the cruise ship were also taken to the hospital, a spokeswoman for the Norwegian police told CNN. 

The cruise ship was ferrying tourists from Bergen to the small town of Kirkenes in the country's far northeast, TV2 reported, when the fire forced an emergency evacuation at 9 a.m.

More than 100 passengers piled into lifeboats in the frigid waters, according to the AP. Tourists on cruise ships run by the Hurtigruten company are usually from Norway, the BBC reports.

The vessel made it to Alesund, 147 miles north of Bergen, where firefighters battled to stabilize the multi-deck ship, which was taking on water.

Some of the 55 crew members reportedly remained on board to help firefighters battle the blaze.

Tell us about your experience accessing The World

We want to hear your feedback so we can keep improving our website, theworld.org. Please fill out this quick survey and let us know your thoughts (your answers will be anonymous). Thanks for your time!