2 ships collide off Dutch coast; evacuation underway
ABC News
Dutch emergency services say two ships have collided off the Dutch coast in the storm-hit North Sea after and one began taking on water
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Rescue helicopters began evacuating crew from a ship left drifting rudderless in a wind turbine park off the Dutch North Sea coast Monday after it collided with another ship and began taking on water, emergency services said.
The collision happened as a powerful storm lashed parts of the northern Europe. It came after Storm Malik killed at least four people over the weekend, destroying houses, unleashing flooding and leaving thousands of households without electricity.
A freighter called the Julietta D with 18 crew members on board collided with another boat about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of the port of Ijmuiden, said Edward Zwitser, a spokesman for the Royal Dutch Lifeboat Company. The other boat also was damaged, but was able to continue its voyage.
The Dutch coast guard said the first search and rescue helicopter had arrived at the scene and begun removing crew from the ship. It gave no further details.
