A cargo ship suffered engine problems late on Saturday while sailing close to a cruise liner stranded under similar circumstances in the stormy weather off the Norwegian shore, local media said.

Axar.az reports citing Sputnik.

Police in the western More og Romsdal county were alerted to a distress signal in the same area where a large-scale operation was underway to airlift cruise passengers to safety, the TV2 news channel said. The crew of nine are waiting to be rescued.

The Viking Sky cruise liner came to an abrupt stop after its engines failed in a storm. There were around 1,300 people on board. The local television channel NRK said 115 have been rescued so far, including nine who were taken to the hospital.

The rescue operation was expected to continue through the night. Choppy waters prevent ships from coming near the cruise liner, while helicopters can only carry up to 15 people. They were being hoisted from the deck and lifted to helicopters one by one.