A British couple have described the ‘frightening’ experience of being airlifted off a cruise ship in 26ft high waves off the coast in Norway.

Two hundred Brits were on board the Viking Sky ship, which sent a mayday call after losing engine power, prompting the start of an evacuation of 1,300 passengers and crew in high winds.

Local police in More og Romsdal said the ship’s crew had managed to anchor in Hustadvika Bay, amid fears the vessel would run aground.

The ship’s operator Viking Cruises said a small number of non life-threatening injuries had been reported.

Norwegian media said the majority of the cruise ship passengers were British and American tourists.

By 6pm local time in Norway around 100 people had been rescued from the ship.

The ship was due to arrive in Tilbury in Essex on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for Viking Cruises said: ‘The ship is proceeding on its own power and a tugboat is on site. The evacuation is proceeding with all necessary caution.

‘A small number of non-life threatening injuries have been reported. Guests are being accommodated in local hotels when they arrive back on shore, and Viking will arrange for return flights for all guests.’

Norwegian media reported gusts up to 38 knots (43 mph) and waves over 8 metres (26 feet) in an area known for its rough, frigid waters.

American passenger John Curry told NRK that he was having lunch as the cruise ship started to shake.

‘It was just chaos. The helicopter ride from the ship to shore I would rather not think about. It wasn’t nice,’ Mr Curry told the broadcaster.

NRK said one 90-year-old-man and his 70-year-old spouse on the ship were severely injured but did not say how that happened.

Later, reports emerged that a cargo ship with nine crew members was in trouble nearby, and the Norwegian rescue service diverted two of the five helicopters working on the cruise ship to that rescue.

Authorities told NRK that a strong storm with high waves was preventing rescue workers from using life boats or tug boats to take passengers ashore.

‘It’s a demanding exercise, because they [passengers] have to hang in the air under a helicopter and there’s a very, very strong wind,’ witness Odd Roar Lange told NRK at the site.

Norwegian authorities said the evacuation would proceed through the night into Sunday.

The Viking Sky was on a 12-day trip that began March 14 in the western Norwegian city of Bergen, according to the cruisemapper.com website.

The ship was visiting the Norwegian towns and cities of Narvik, Alta, Tromso, Bodo and Stavanger before its scheduled arrival in Tilbury in Essex on Tuesday.

The Viking Sky, a vessel with gross tonnage of 47,800, was delivered in 2017 to operator Viking Ocean Cruises.

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