Russian cargo ship runs aground off Cornwall coast

A 16,000-tonne Russian cargo ship has run aground off a beach in Cornwall.

The Kuzma Minin grounded off Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth at about 05:40 GMT.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the 590ft (180m) ship had dragged its anchor and has a list of about five degrees.

There is no cargo on the vessel, which has 18 Russian crew on board. The MCA said tugs will be attached to the ship to help refloat it by mid-morning.

The Met Office had issued a yellow warning of severe weather for the area, with 65mph winds forecast.

Falmouth harbourmaster Mark Sansom said the coastguard was in the process of getting a pilot on the stricken ship by helicopter to assess the situation.

"Obviously the weather conditions are very poor but we are expecting them to improve and we'll be looking for that opportunity to refloat the vessel," he said.

The coastguard said there had been no reports of any pollution and an area around the ship had been cordoned off.

One witness, Megan Hocking, said she was "thinking of everybody on the tugs and lifeboat this morning - terrible conditions for a rescue mission".

Falmouth resident Jess Hughes described the morning weather on the Cornish coast as "extreme" and said it was "horrendously windy" on Monday night.

"As you come over the crest of the hill there's just this huge ship where there shouldn't be," she said.

Gyllyngvase Beach is a sandy tourist beach about 10 minutes from Falmouth town centre.