Navy May Mobilize for Stranded Brits

With 200,000 Britons stranded abroad by volcanic ash—and an election just weeks away—Britain's government is scrambling to find ways to bring its people home if the travel chaos continues. Government ministers have unveiled an emergency plan that includes using cruise liners, cargo ships, and even the Royal Navy to repatriate the stranded Brits if the crisis worsens, the Guardian reports.

"We need to look at every single logistical option for getting our people back home," said business secretary Peter Mandelson. The British government's plans include using Spain—as yet mostly unaffected by Eyjafjalljokull's spewings—as a transit point where passengers would be flown to before continuing their journey back to Britain by rail, road, or boat.
(More Eyjafjallajokull glacier stories.)