Blaze leaves cruise ship adrift

A cruise ship adrift since a fire broke out yesterday as it headed for Mexico was being towed back to shore today.

The US Coast Guard said it would take about 24 hours to tow the 952-foot-long Carnival Cruise Lines into San Diego.

A spokesman said food and provisions were available to the 3,299 holidaymakers and 1,167 crew onboard.

The ship has lost propulsion but is running on an alternate generator that is powering basic services such as sewage and navigation equipment.