Huge waves batter cruise ship in Med

A cruise ship has been rescued by French and Spanish rescue teams after it floated adrift the Mediterranean Sea for several hours with two of its four engines damaged. Fierce storms lashed The Grand Voyager ship after a giant wave broke the windows of the control bridge and disabled the two engines, The Independent reports, with several of the 474 mainly-Spanish passengers and 313 crew injured by the high winds. Tugboats and aircraft were reportedly dispatched to the area where the ship was sailing, near the island of Majorca, and a Spanish maritime helicopter remained on standby in Minorca this morning, the newspaper reports. The ship, which has now been partly repaired by crew, is heading for Sardinia. A spokesman for Iberojet, which operates the cruise ship, is quoted as saying: “The situation is under control.” The French authorities also sent two planes to the scene; a French Navy spokesman is quoted as saying: “The boat is in difficulty but not distress, and can still manoeuvre under its own power.” Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd