Ferry evacuated after collision

Dozens of passengers were taken off the ferry

More than 100 people have been evacuated from a passenger ferry after a collision with a cargo ship off the south-west coast of Sweden.

The Stena Nautica was en route from Denmark to the Swedish port of Varberg when it collided with the Jamaican-registered cargo ship Joanna.

None of the 91 passengers and 37 crew is reported to have been injured in the accident on Monday.

The ship, which also had seven horses on board, has now docked in Varberg.

The ferry was badly damaged by the collision and started taking on water.

It must have been a traumatic incident for most of them, thick fog, in the middle of the night, getting off a ship Robert Aakerlund, Stena Lines

Danish passenger Michael Knudsen told Denmark's public radio he was awoken by a loud sound.

"Suddenly all the electricity disappeared and the sirens started," he said.

Passengers and crew were evacuated to another ship that was in the area at the time but the horses and 53 lorries remained on board.

There were fears that the ferry could sink before it could be towed to the dockside in Varberg, which is 475 km (295 miles) south-west of the capital Stockholm.

Sea Rescue spokesman Magnus Gustafsson said the collision caused an 11-metre (36-foot) hole in the ship's hull.

By the time the ferry was tugged to port, water had filled the engine room and started reaching the car deck, he said.

Robert Aakerlund, of Stena Lines, said: "We must be very grateful that there were no serious incidents and that people didn't get hurt. It must have been a traumatic incident for most of them, thick fog, in the middle of the night, getting off a ship."

A company spokeswoman told BBC News Online the passengers had been taken on to the port of Gothenberg.

She said the horses on the Stena Nautica were all fine and efforts were being made to get them ashore.

The Joanna cargo ship continued to its destination, the Swedish port of Falkenberg.