Cruise ship strikes iceberg in Antarctic, sparking international rescue mission

More than 150 passengers including British holidaymakers were rescued today from a stricken cruise liner after it struck an iceberg in the Antarctic.

GAP Adventures, the cruise operator, confirmed that all 100 passengers and crew on board the Explorer when it hit ice in the Bransfield Strait off King George Island, at 5.24am (GMT) were "safe and uninjured".

Twenty four Britons were evacuated on to life rafts in freezing and treacherous conditions as cruise liners and other boats were scrambled to the listing Explorer. The rescued passengers had to endure sub-zero temperatures for up to three hours before help arrived....