- A P&O cruise ship struck an oil tanker in Palma, Mallorca on Sunday following a storm.
- The Britannia's moorings snapped in heavy winds and it drifted into the tanker.
A P&O cruise ship carrying thousands of passengers struck an oil tanker in Mallorca after a storm hit the Mediterranean island.
The vessel escaped its moorings and was blown into the tanker in Palma on Sunday by strong gusts of winds.
"A small number of individuals sustained minor injuries and are being cared for by the onboard medical centre," a P&O representative told Insider.
Passengers were taken off the Britannia while an assessment was carried out, but they were all now back on board and the captain had given passengers an update, the representative added.
Graves destrozos en el Puerto de Palma tras el paso de la tormentahttps://t.co/tmuX2HKA3Q pic.twitter.com/ngXJyJ4gKx
— Crónica Balear (@CronicaBalear_) August 27, 2023
Winds blew the vessel into Piniente pier in Palma late Sunday morning, local news site Mallorca Diario reported. A video shared online shows the ship's moorings snapping off due to heavy winds.
One passenger, Ricky Stubbs, told the Guardian that passengers came running inside escape the wind and rain after crashing sounds could be heard.
"People were being ushered in by other guests and staff," Stubbs said. "You could clearly see some had injuries due to either falling over or debris flying around, and people were distraught."
Another passenger shared videos on X of the ship guests waiting at the port terminal, which had debris from the storm outside.
Local outlet Crónica Balear also tweeted images from the cruise terminal that show damage caused by the storm, including broken windows and ceilings.