More than 100 people have been evacuated from a passenger ferry after it collided with a freighter off southwest Sweden and was in danger of sinking early today.
The Stena Nautica, with 91 passengers on board, collided with Joanna, a Jamaica-flagged cargo ship, en route from Grenaa in Denmark to the Swedish port of Varberg, 295 miles southwest of Stockholm.
All the passengers and the crew of 37 were evacuated to a nearby ship in the area. No one was injured, officials said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the collision between the ferry and the smaller vessel, which was only slightly damaged and was able to reach port safely. The weather was calm, although some fog was reported in the area.
The 445-feet Stena Nautica probably would be run aground to prevent it from sinking, said Sea Rescue spokesman, Magnus Gustafsson.
"Water has risen to the car-deck level and as I understand it, it is still taking on water.
"It's uncertain if it will stand the tow very much longer. But now it is in shallower waters and if it sinks it will rest on the bottom," Gustafsson said.
A small amount of oil had leaked from a hole in the ferry, officials said.
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