Abandon ship! Utahn has icy ordeal

A Utah woman was among the 154 passengers and crew of a Canadian cruise ship that struck submerged ice off Antarctica and began sinking Friday morning.

All passengers and crew took to lifeboats and were carried to safety by a passing cruise ship. The entire vessel finally slipped beneath the waves Friday evening, about 20 hours after the predawn accident near Antarctica's South Shetland Islands, the Chilean navy said.

No injuries were reported, although passengers reportedly endured subfreezing temperatures for several hours as they waited in bobbing lifeboats for a Norwegian liner that took them to a Chilean military base in the region.

"The ship ran into some ice. It was submerged ice, and the result was a hole about the size of a fist in the side of the hull so it began taking on water ... but quite slowly," said Susan Hayes of G.A.P. Adventures of Toronto, which owns the stricken MS Explorer. "The passengers are absolutely fine. They're all accounted for, no injuries whatsoever."

Lisa Paisola, a Davis County resident, was reportedly among the rescued passengers, said her brothers Robert and Jason Paisola, both Utah natives.

"Her whole goal was to visit all the continents in the world — and we all had reservations about her going there," Jason Paisola said. "We received a voice-mail (from Lisa) saying goodbye — and you could tell she was panicked and shocked and didn't know if she was going to live or die."

Antarctica was the last continent Lisa needed to visit in order to accomplish her goal. Her aunt, Kay Vanhorne of Denver, accompanied her on the trip.

"We as a family are so, so happy that she is OK and that our aunt is OK," Robert Paisola said. "It is very scary to know that someone you love is in that situation."

Hayes said 91 passengers had been aboard, including at least 23 Britons, 17 Dutch, 13 Americans and 10 Canadians. The ship also carried nine expedition staff members and a crew of 54.

The group calmly abandoned ship when the captain's order came, and pumps helped keep the ship stable for an orderly evacuation, Hayes said.

Paisola was sleeping when the evacuation notice was received. She and other passengers fled to waiting lifeboats, which offered little protection against the subfreezing temperatures. Help didn't arrive for 5 1/2 hours, Jason Paisola said.

Arnvid Hansen, captain of the Norwegian liner Nordnorge, said his ship ferried the passengers and crew to a Chilean air force base on King George Island in Antarctic waters near southernmost South America.