In Rugholmen outside Flatanger in Trøndelag, a sailboat with 26 people on board ran aground. 24 people were rescued on board the cargo ship which arrived at 05.00 Thursday morning.

14 of 26 are youth between the ages of 14 and 18.

The schooner, which was an expedition ship, was anchored on the reef. The captain himself contacted the rescue company at 02:30.

– Good weather, a little snowfall and a little wind, said rescue manager Kjetil Hagen at the rescue centre.

At first the schooner remained on the reef, but as the tide came in and the water began to disappear, the boat overturned and took a stronger side.

– I would like to commend the cargo ship With Junior, which arrived and contributed to the rescue, Hagen told TV 2.

The cargo ship is close at hand, and is quickly arriving to rescue the stricken people.

– We were called by Kystradio, who wondered if we could help. Then it remains only to lift the rest of the crew, who are sleeping, said driver Sondre Ulvan Ratdal at With junior to TV 2.

– It’s a sad sight when you see such a big ship run aground, he added.

Ratdal also said that weather conditions were calm, with little wind and sea, but little snowfall, when they arrived where the sailboats were.

– We brought 24 of the 26 people into it, got them excited and made sure that everyone was okay.

The captain and engineer returned to the sailboat.

– They made an assessment in collaboration with the lifeboats whether the boat could be saved, said Kjetil Hagen at the rescue centre.

Further evacuation is planned from the cargo ship with MS Råsa to Lauvsnes. The city government has initiated an emergency preparedness, and is accepting casualties.

No one was injured during grounding.