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Storm on the North Sea: Rescue under difficult conditions
Photo:
Ian Forsyth / Getty Images
The crew of the grain freighter "TBC Progress" made an emergency call on Saturday night.
The ship drifted with a drive failure in the stormy North Sea off Normandy.
In the meantime, French rescuers have taken the 176-meter-long »TBC Progress« in tow, the Maritime Prefecture announced.
Accordingly, a tow ship and a helicopter were sent to the freighter, which was drifting 50 kilometers from the coast towards the Cape of La Hague.
A heavy storm with waves six meters high made the rescue operation difficult.
After an attempt to repair the engine failed, a tow ship took the freighter course for Le Havre.
Other parts of northwest Europe are also hit by storms.
Storm "Arwen" swept over Great Britain at 160 kilometers per hour.
Falling trees killed two people, and gusts and snow caused traffic chaos.
cbu / dpa