A cruise ship carrying more than 1,000 people was left without power off Morocco after an engine room fire.
The fire at 04:00 BST left the ship “listing” and “in pitch black”, said Dave Tonkin, whose father is on board.
The ship was without engine power for about five hours.
Fred Olsen, the company which owns the ship, said it was now fully stable and had five engines running with two still not working. There was no danger to passengers or crew, it said.
Gavin Poole, from Wimbledon, south London, said his parents, who are in their 70s, texted him in the early hours of the morning.
“The texts said, ‘no engines, fire in the engine room, there’s smoke, we’re in life jackets and the captain says everything is under control’,” he said.
“I spoke to my parents a bit later at 07:30 BST and they were in their cabin still in their life jackets. The fire was out, but half of the ship had power and the other half didn’t, and it was listing.”
Ken Watkinson, a passenger on board the Boudicca, said the situation had remained calm throughout.
“Around midnight, they announced there were problems with the electricity. I stayed in my bed and this morning it is all back to normal.”
Read MoreSource: BBC NEWS
