Cruise Ship Doomed by Iceberg

Passengers Safe, but Ship Is Sinking

Passengers aboard a cruise ship to the Antarctic were roused from their beds and hustled into lifeboats early today, when an iceberg punched a small hole in the ship's side.

All 100 people aboard the Explorer were pulled safely from the frigid seas by a passing ship, but the Explorer was listing badly and its Canadian owners feared it would sink.

"The passengers are absolutely fine," Susan Hayes, vice president of marketing for GAP Adventures, the Canadian company that owns the Explorer, told The Associated Press. "They're all accounted for, no injuries whatsoever."

Hayes said 91 passengers, including 13 Americans, are currently on board the Nordnorge, a Norwegian cruise ship. The nine crew members are also safely on board.

The Explorer's emergency began when it struck a chunk of ice that tore a hole in its hull about the size of a fist, Hayes said. She called the evacuation process "calm," saying pumps were able to deal with incoming water until the Nordnorge arrived. Argentine rescue operations received the first distress call at 11:30 Thursday night...