A cruise ship carrying nearly 1,200 passengers, most of them Americans, and some 400 crew members was being evacuated off the Greek island of Santorini on Thursday after striking rocks, authorities said, according to AP. The Greek-flagged Sea Diamond apparently was listing near the island's main port, the Merchant Marine Ministry said. Images of the vessel also were seen on island Internet Web cameras and cell-phone video footage shown on Greek television. There were no reports of any injuries, island authorities said. Some passengers were still being transferred to a small ferry, after most people on board the cruise ship were safely evacuated, Merchant Marine Minister Manolis Kefaloyiannis said. «Thankfully, everything has gone well so far. Emergency services responded very quickly and very well,» Kefaloyiannis told state-run NET television. More than a dozen ships were involved in the rescue effort, along with six navy rescue helicopters, two military transport planes and four warships. Santorini is a volcanic island, and the ship struck a reef inside the volcano's lake-like lagoon. Thousands of tourists and residents watched the rescue effort from the island's cliffs and port. Earlier, hundreds of people could be seen on the deck of the ship waiting to be rescued. «We managed to get the ship away from the rocks and tugged the vessel toward the main harbor,» said Santorini's regional governor, Chrysanthos Roussis. Winds in the area were moderate. The Merchant Marine Ministry said 1,195 passengers and 391 crew members were on board. The Sea Diamond is operated by Louis Cruise Lines, a Cyprus-based tourism group. «The ship struck rocks ... This is not an emergency situation, but people on board are being evacuated as a precaution,» company spokesman Michalis Martheftis said, adding that no one on board was in danger. «Most of the passengers are American. The rest are from various different nations,» he said. The 143-meter (469-foot) vessel was built in 1986 and refurbished in 1999. -- SPA
