Twelve Germans had to be rescued off the coast of Iceland after their sailboat got stuck in bad weather and began sinking, revealed the coastguard last weak. The group, which included seven children, was brought back to shore safely and no one sustained any injuries, said rescue officials.
The coastguard got a distress signal on Thursday night just before midnight and immediately sent out a helicopter and boats to search the area for the stranded party. The rescue team eventually located the troubled group and transported them to the rescue vessel. An attempt was made to tow the German sailboat back to shore, but it was unsuccessful and the boat sank.
Captain Oddur Halldórsson from the rescue vessel said that it all seemed to happen so fast and that those onboard appeared to have just managed to escape their berths and climb up on deck before the boat started to go down.
The crew was taken to the small fishing village of Sandgerði, in the southwest of the country, where German embassy staff and local police met them.
Two months ago, an American family had to be rescued in seas off Iceland after the ice they were picnicking on broke off from the larger sheet and began drifting out to sea.