Multiple news sources are reporting that another small cruise ship to Antarctica has run aground.
This time it was the Polar Star which was carrying 115 passengers and crew when it ran aground in the Matha Strait, on its way back to Argentina. Rescue workers based at the Chilean port of Punto Arenas were evacuating the ship, which left the port of Ushuaia (in southern Argentine) last week with 80 passengers and 35 crew members.
The passengers reportedly included 32 Americans, 9 Canadians, 14 Britons and 8 Australians.
The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) released a statement indicating that the cruise ship suffered a hole in the outer hull, with the inner hull intact.
There have been a number of mishaps on cruises to and from Antarctica recently, with several groundings and one horrifying trip with extreme weather:
The Clelia II – Another Antarctic Cruise Ship Skirts Disaster