THE first vessel to come to the rescue of an Italian cruise ship adrift in the Indian Ocean with more than 1000 passengers on board has reached the liner and the two captains were in radio contact last night. A second large fishing trawler was due to arrive at the scene to join the French 90-metre fishing boat and two tugs were expected earlier this morning.

The Costa Allegra is from the same fleet as the much larger Costa Concordia, which crashed into an Italian island in January, claiming 32 lives.

A blaze in the engine room of the Costa Allegra saw the liner stranded in the dangerous and choppy Indian Ocean seas and it was forced to make a mayday call seeking assistance.

Emergency crews on board managed to put out the fire after a few hours and nobody was injured, but the passengers were all moved onto the stricken ship's outer decks to ensure an easier evacuation if needed.