A roll-on roll-off ferry which ran into trouble in high winds in the Irish Sea has run aground at Blackpool.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said 14 people were airlifted to safety from the Riverdance, after it was hit by a freak wave in bad weather.

The remaining nine crew members were with the ferry when it ran aground on the north shore of Blackpool beach.

An RNLI spokesman said rescue teams were waiting for high tide at 0600 GMT to see if the vessel could be

refloated.

Liverpool Coastguard received a Mayday call from the Riverdance at 1943 GMT.

Three helicopters - one from the navy, one from the RAF and one from the coastguard - as well as RNLI lifeboats were sent to the scene.

The Irish Coast Guard also sent a helicopter as back-up.

The Riverdance had been sailing from Warrenpoint in County Down to Heysham in Lancashire when it got into difficulties in 7m waves.

Jim Paton from Holyhead Coastguard said: "It's extremely difficult to assess it. At the moment it's very rough.

"Apparently the initial cause of the vessel developing a list was the cargo trucks and trailers shifting. Obviously those are still moving about and it is a dynamic situation, depending on the weather."

John Matthews from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution added: "The conditions are treacherous, with a north westerly wind blowing at force nine to 10 and very high seas."

Major incident

The Riverdance got into trouble approximately eight miles west of Fleetwood, Lancashire, in the Irish Sea.

Liverpool Coastguard are treating the rescue as a major incident. There are no reports of anyone injured or missing at present.

However, the coastguard is not sure whether the ferry will capsize and says it is in a precarious position.

Tony Redding, a spokesman for Seatruck Ferries which owns the vessel, said the ship's master ordered the evacuation as a precaution but that some of the crew were planning to stay on board to do all they could to stop the vessel from sinking.

John Matthews, from Fleetwood RNLI, said the rescue was progressing in a very "calm, professional manner" and that as the vessel was in shallow water, it was unlikely to sink.

Those airlifted from the ferry are being taken to Blackpool Airport to recover.

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