Luxury Cruise Ship Runs Aground

A luxury cruise ship, Sky Wonder, with 1,600 people on board ran aground on a sandbank about three kilometers from Buenos Aires, Navy Prefecture said. The ship set off from Buenos Aires on Wednesday, heading for the Atlantic resort of Punta del Este in Uruguay. It was sailing through the Atlantic Ocean but apparently strong winds and sea currents dragged the ship towards the sandbank along the Rio de la Plata river, sources said. Most passengers are from Brazil and no one was reported in danger.Sky WonderThe ship is 240 meters long and 28 meters wide. The most expensive cabin on it is about 1,680 dollars per person, according to tourist agents. Brazilian newspaper O Globo said it received several e-mails from passengers who informed the daily of the incident. They said there were tense moments and the crew suggested taking them to Buenos Aires on smaller ships. One passenger said in his e-mail: "We ran aground on Wednesday at about 19:00 local time (2200 GMT) and we are stranded about three kilometers from Buenos Aires port along the Rio de la Plata river." "We don't have any information and we are worried because we don't know what is really happening," he said. The ship was stuck there for nearly 20 hours before it was freed.