Cyprus police airlifts shipwrecked Canadian couple

2009-06-25 15:32:04 -

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) - Cyprus police say they have rescued a Canadian couple who had to abandon their sinking yacht off the island's southwestern coast.
Police spokeswoman Lefki Solomontos says the Canadians alerted Cypriot authorities early Thursday that their 26-foot (8-meter) craft had begun taking on water after colliding with another ship 130 miles (200 kilometers) southwest of the coastal resort of Limassol.
The Canadians, in their late 50s, were picked up by a passing cargo ship. A Cypriot police helicopter later airlifted them to Paphos airport on Cyprus' southwestern coast. Solomontos said the couple are in good health and have checked into a local hotel.
The yacht had set sail from Port Said, Egypt, and was bound for Turkey.