Cruise ship aground; passengers evacuated

RIGA, Latvia, May 5 (UPI) -- Rescue workers have begun evacuating the more than 600 German passengers from a cruise ship stranded in the Baltic Sea, officials said.

The German-owned Mona Lisa was traveling from Gdansk, Poland, to Riga, Latvia, when it ran aground on a sandbar, Deutsche Welle reported Monday.

Efforts to float the ship failed, prompting the evacuation of passengers to two Latvian naval vessels, the German newspaper reported. Passengers weren't in immediate danger, officials said.