French police invade ship captured by striking workers

An elite police intervention squad stormed onto a ship Wednesday commandeered by striking unionists in the Mediterranean.

Five helicopters took part in the operation to retrieve the Pascal-Paoli, and the ship was seen heading toward a port on the French island of Corsica under a helicopter escort minutes later.

Unionists angry over government privatization plans had commandeered the ship on Tuesday and were steering the vessel toward Corsica from the port of Marseille on mainland France.

Labor unions are angry over the government's planned sale of ailing ferry operator SNCM to private investment firm Butler Capital Partners, whose officials say that 350-400 jobs might be lost, the AP reports.