Helicopter delivers food to stranded Italian cruise ship

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A Seychelles helicopter on Tuesday delivered food and satellite phones to a stranded Italian cruise ship with more than 1,000 people on board and no electricity that is being towed to a remote island.

Cruise operator Costa Crociere said the helicopter departed from Mahe, the main island of the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean, a day after the Costa Allegra issued a mayday call when a fire on board took out its engines.

The Italian coast guard, which is helping to coordinate rescue efforts, said the ship was being towed by a French fishing boat, the Trevignon, to tiny Desroches Island and was due to arrive on Wednesday at 1400 GMT.

Costa Crociere said the ship would arrive tomorrow morning. The plan is then to evacuate passengers and crew - from 25 countries including large contingents from Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland - onto the picturesque island and fly them to Mahe and then back to their homelands.

The luxury ship, from the same fleet as the tragedy-struck Costa Concordia, which crashed into an Italian island last month in a disaster that claimed 32 lives, would then be towed to Mahe for repairs, local officials said.

"The weather is good. Guests were invited to prepare their luggage in order to be ready for the time of disembarkation. The ship is expected to arrive to Desroches island tomorrow morning," Costa Crociere said in a statement.

"Guests onboard are continuously informed and assisted by the captain and the staff onboard, a cold breakfast was served this morning," he said.