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Over 100 passengers were injured when a cruise ship hit some rough seas near the Bay of Biscay off the coast of the United Kingdom.
Saga Cruises' Spirit of Discovery was battered with 30-foot waves, causing an automatic safety system to kick in. As a result, the ship turned hard to the left, effectively coming to a stop.
There were about 1,000 passengers on the 14-day cruise.
The maneuver sent furniture flying across the boat as passengers said they feared for their lives. The ship spent roughly 15 hours in the storm before it was able to turn around and return to port.
"It was quite frightening," passenger Jan Bendall, 75, told the BBC. "I'm not somebody who frightens easily... it was quite dramatic."
Passengers described a chaotic scene as doctors on the boat set up an emergency triage center in the dining room.
"It was absolute pandemonium. Things were flying everywhere. People were being thrown all over the place. The medics were overrun. My mum saw someone being resuscitated; there were broken bones, people on stretchers, and people crying, including the crew, who were running around frantically, trying to help everyone. It was petrifying," a 58-year-old passenger told the Portsmouth News.
"People were sleeping with life jackets on and writing messages home to loved ones in case we didn't get back. We're happy to be alive," they added.
Saga Cruises said that most of the injuries were minor but that five people had to be hospitalized when the ship returned to port.