Police in Bulgaria evacuated nearly 200 passengers from a Viking cruise ship after the vessel ran aground due to “exceptionally low water levels” in the Danube River.
The Bulgaria News Agency reported that the ship became stranded early Tuesday about 15 miles upstream from Vidin, where it planned to stop to take on supplies. Bulgarian border police ended up rescuing 186 passengers after another ship dispatched to the scene wasn’t able to get close enough to pick them up.
“We can confirm that the Viking Ullur experienced a grounding incident on the Danube River on July 28, 2026, after coming into contact with a sandbank during a period of exceptionally low water levels,” Viking said Friday in a statement to FOX Business.
“The safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew is always our highest priority. There were no injuries, and the vessel remained safe throughout the incident,” it added. “The ship was well-stocked with all necessary supplies, including food and water, to keep guests and crew safe and comfortable.”
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“Guests were safely transferred ashore and continued their planned itinerary, including a full day in Bucharest,” Viking also said.
Attempts to refloat the vessel Tuesday morning were unsuccessful, according to the Bulgaria News Agency.
All of the passengers were from European countries and there were 52 crew members onboard as well, it added.
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The current status of the crew members and location of the ship wasn’t immediately clear. Viking did not immediately respond to an inquiry on the matter.
Viking said on its website that the Viking Ullur, built in 2019, is 443 feet long.
A prolonged drought in the region has been setting record low water levels on the Danube River, The Associated Press reported.
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