2 ships collide off Dutch coast; evacuation underway

Two ships collided off the Dutch coast in the storm-hit North Sea after and one began taking on water, prompting an evacuation, emergency services said.A freighter called the Julietta D with 18 crew members on board collided with with another boat about 20 miles 32 kilometers west of the port of Ijmuiden, said Edward Zwitser, a spokesman for the Royal Dutch Lifeboat Company.

Two ships collided off the Dutch coast in the storm-hit North Sea after and one began taking on water, prompting an evacuation, emergency services said.

A freighter called the Julietta D with 18 crew members on board collided with with another boat about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of the port of Ijmuiden, said Edward Zwitser, a spokesman for the Royal Dutch Lifeboat Company. The other boat also was damaged but was able to continue its voyage.

The Dutch coast guard said that the first search and rescue helicopter had arrived at the scene and begun removing crew from the ship. It gave no further details.

The Juliette D suffered damage "that poses direct danger for the 18 crew on board," spokesman Edward Zwitser told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. He said three helicopters were on their way to the ship.