Early Friday morning, a Canadian cruise ship struck an submerged iceberg off Antarctica and slowly began sinking. All 54 passengers and crew, including Americans and Britons, launched and manned the lifeboats and were rescued by another cruise ship. 20 hours after the impact, the MS Explorer slipped beneath the waves near the South Shetland Islands.

After their rescue, no injuries were reported by the passengers and crew, although they did endure subfreezing temperatures as the waited for rescue. The Norwegian cruise ship transported them to a Chilean military base in the region.
According to a spokesman for G.A.P. Adventures of Toronto, owner of the Explorer, the ship impacted submerged ice that put a fist size hole in its hull. The Explorer began to take on water. At 12:30 a.m. E.S.T., Argentine rescue and command center received the first distress call. The Explorer reported that it was taking on water despite efforts of the ships onboard pumps. 90 minutes later, the captain ordered the passengers and crew to abandon ship.
G.A.P Adventures is a tour company that provides excursions with an environmental focus. The Explorer was on a 19-day circuit of Antarctica and the Falkland Islands letting passengers observe penguins, whales and other wildlife while getting briefings from experts on the region. Until Friday, no G.A.P Adventures liner has ever been damaged by ice impact.