19 Rescued after ship runs aground off Sicily

An Italian cargo ship ran aground in rough weather off Sicily on Saturday, the coastguard said, adding that the 19 crew were taken off by helicopter and were safe amid worsening conditions. The 150-metre (500-foot) Gelso M was driven on to rocks as it was planning to approach the port of Syracuse around 0800 GMT and began taking on water before the captain gave the order to abandon ship, the coastguard said in a statement. Coastguard spokesman Cosimo Nicastro said four helicopters airlifted the crew to safety and all were in good health. The ship, a tanker, was carrying no cargo at the time of the incident, and its double hull meant there was a low risk of pollution but the environment ministry was alerted nonetheless. The position of the ship made it impossible for surface craft to approach and the coastguard called for more aerial assistance from the navy and the air force. Rescue service sources suggested that given the conditions the captain had been sailing too close to the coast. Rome-based ship owner Augusta Due said the cargo ship ran aground "because of a force 10 storm in the early morning", adding that "an engine had problems because of the ship's movements during the storm". The accident happened some eight weeks after the 290-metre cruise ship Costa Concordia crashed into rocks off the island of Giglio on Italy's northwest coast and capsized with the loss of 32 lives. A tug has arrived at the site to see if it was possible to pull the Gelso M off the reefs and tow it to a port. Augusta Due praised the rescuers' "courage" and "great professionalism" in poor weather conditions, with winds blowing at 70 kph (45 mph), poor visibility and waves of up to 10 metres (33 feet). Augusta Due said workers for Dutch firm Smit Salvage were expected in Sicily late Saturday and would be assisted by Italian company Augustea. Smit Salvage has been hired by the owners of the Costa Concordia to pump thousands of tonnes of fuel from the stricken cruise liner lying on its side off the northwest Italian coast. The Gelso M was on its way from the Venice port of Mestre to Augusta north of Syracuse where it was to load a fuel shipment.