The crew of a cargo ship were lifted to safety before their vessel was smashed in half in the Strait of Gibraltar, The U.K.’s Daily Mail newspaper reported Sunday.
The Liberian-registered Fedra was caught in a strong storm Saturday as it passed through the strait, and was pinned against a cliff by devastating waves despite dropping anchor, The Mail reported.
At first, Spanish maritime rescue helicopter was able to airlift several crew members off the doomed ship. But as winds got stronger, rescuers were forced to suspend the mission after a rescue helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing. The storm later subsided just enough to finish the job before the ship was shattered against the cliff, the paper reported.
The crew, mostly Filipino sailors, were treated at a local hospital but later released.
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