A group of British tourists experienced global warming first hand on Wednesday night when part of an Arctic glacier they were admiring collapsed, injuring 17.
According to today’s Guardian, passengers onboard the Russian-built Alexey Maryshev were enjoying the spectacle of the Hornbreen glacier when a section of the ice collapsed, or ‘calved’, into the sea.
Fragments from the glacier, found off the remote Svalbard islands some 300 miles north of Norway, hit the side of the vessel and caused a swell, which in turn severely rocked the 66-metre ship.
“The glacier calved and a big wave washed over the boat,” said Elisabeth Bjoerge Loevold, the acting governor of Svalbard. “The boat rocked back and forth and passengers fell on the deck.”
Three of the 48 passengers on the £3,000 cruise were flown to a hospital in Tromso on the Norwegian mainland, while four others were treated in Spitsbergen. Injuries included broken arms and legs, with one man suffering broken ribs and internal bleeding.
Petter Braathen, a deputy sheriff from Svalbard, said: “The Russian captain said they were tight into the glacier when it calved.” He added that such ships often sail close to the glaciers, but “not as close as this”.
Discover The World, the British tour company that booked the cruise, said local authorities were investigating whether the ship had indeed sailed too close.
The passengers on the 10-night trip were all British, with the majority in their 50s and 60s.
hi i enjoyed the read
Comment by Tyson — August 18, 2007 @ 11:22 pm
hi,its a hot topic for the new generation to take the serious steps for savint our earth n environment as well..
Comment by Pratee — August 20, 2007 @ 9:46 am
This incident is not evidence of global warming. It should not be presented as such either by Global Cool or The Guardian. Doing so is misleading and to my mind damages the credibility of both organisations.
Comment by Matthew Brown — August 22, 2007 @ 1:17 pm
The only reason why this is happening is because of Global Warming. With the ice glaciers so weak and melting, people burning off the ozone layer, all of the wars everywhere and people are talking about a World War 3, we are defenitly going to blow ourselves up. Korea has so much missiles, George W Bush has gone crazy, Africa is defenseless, Global Warming will be irreversible by 2015. The Incas predicted this BEFORE J.-C.! That is centuries ago! And they predicted this for 7 years!!!!
Comment by Summer Love — December 13, 2007 @ 3:11 pm