Cruise Ship With 1,300 People Disappears?
02-03-2006, 05:50 AM
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Cruise Ship With 1,300 People Disappears?
Egyptian Cruise Ship With 1,300 People Disappears
An Egyptian cruise ship with 1,300 people on board has disappeared in the Red Sea off the Saudi coast, Egyptian maritime officials said Friday.
Helicopters have spotted bodies floating on the sea and one lifeboat carrying three people in the vicinity of where the ship, the "Salaam 98," was last seen on the radar screens, the maritime officials said. Saudi and Egyptian naval vessels and helicopters were searching for the cruise liner.
The ship disappeared shortly after sailing from the western Saudi port of Dubah at 7:00pm local time on Thursday night, the maritime officials in Suez said. They spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The ship had been due to arrive at Egypt's southern port of Sa***a at 3 a.m. local time, the officials added.
"We lost all contact with the ship shortly after it left the Saudi port," said one maritime official at Suez. Its last position on the radar screens was 62 miles from Dubah.
An Egyptian helicopter spotted a lifeboat carrying three people, an official said. He added the search was being hampered by bad weather.
The ship is owned by the Egyptian firm El-Salaam Maritime Transport Co. and was carrying 1,300 passengers, the official added.
Some of the passengers are believed to be pilgrims returning from the annual hajj to Mecca, which ended last month.
An Egyptian cruise ship with 1,300 people on board has disappeared in the Red Sea off the Saudi coast, Egyptian maritime officials said Friday.
Helicopters have spotted bodies floating on the sea and one lifeboat carrying three people in the vicinity of where the ship, the "Salaam 98," was last seen on the radar screens, the maritime officials said. Saudi and Egyptian naval vessels and helicopters were searching for the cruise liner.
The ship disappeared shortly after sailing from the western Saudi port of Dubah at 7:00pm local time on Thursday night, the maritime officials in Suez said. They spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The ship had been due to arrive at Egypt's southern port of Sa***a at 3 a.m. local time, the officials added.
"We lost all contact with the ship shortly after it left the Saudi port," said one maritime official at Suez. Its last position on the radar screens was 62 miles from Dubah.
An Egyptian helicopter spotted a lifeboat carrying three people, an official said. He added the search was being hampered by bad weather.
The ship is owned by the Egyptian firm El-Salaam Maritime Transport Co. and was carrying 1,300 passengers, the official added.
Some of the passengers are believed to be pilgrims returning from the annual hajj to Mecca, which ended last month.
02-03-2006, 07:26 AM
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Re: Cruise Ship With 1,300 People Disappears?
02-03-2006, 07:37 AM
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Re: Cruise Ship With 1,300 People Disappears?
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 8:26 a.m. ET Feb. 3, 2006
CAIRO, Egypt - An Egyptian ferry carrying around 1,300 people sank in the Red Sea overnight and while 12 people have been rescued, dozens of bodies were recovered and fears are that hundreds perished.
“Dozens of bodies were picked up from the sea ... they were from the ferry,” a police source at the port of Sa***a said.
The 35-year-old ship, the Al-Salaam Boccaccio 98, sank 40 miles off the Egyptian port of Hurghada.
The cause was not immediately known, but there were high winds and a sandstorm overnight on Saudi Arabia’s west coast, where the ship departed from Thursday evening.
Ayman al-Kaffas, a spokesman for the Egyptian Embassy in London, told the BBC that “a massive search and rescue effort” was under way, and confirmed that “dozens of bodies of victims” had been pulled from the water.
Other ships, among them a British warship, and Egypt's Coast Guard raced to the scene, while helicopters looked for survivors from the air.
Officials said the ferry met safety requirements and that the number of passengers on board was less than the capacity.
The agent for the ship in Saudi Arabia, Farid al-Douadi, said the vessel was in good condition, and that the passengers were mostly Egyptians but included Saudis, Sudanese and other nationalities.
Marzouk said the ship — built in 1971 and renovated in 1990 in an Egyptian shipyard — was carrying 1,318 people, including a crew of 96. It's capacity is more than 1,400.
The ship disappeared from radar screens shortly after sailing from the western Saudi port of Dubah at 7 p.m. local time on Thursday night, maritime officials in Suez said.
Coastal stations did not receive any SOS message from the crew, said Adel Shukri, the head of administration at el-Salaam Maritime Transport Company, which owns the ferry.
The ship was due in at Egypt's port of Sa***a at 3 a.m. local time, the officials added.
Dubah and Sa***a lie virtually opposite each other at the northern end of the Red Sea, which is an extremely busy sea route. In addition to east-west traffic between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, there is north-south traffic through the Suez Canal and to and from the Israeli and Jordanian ports of Eilat and Aqaba.
Initial reports said some of the passengers may have been Muslim pilgrims returning from the hajj, which ended nearly a month ago. But the Saudi port of Dubah is known more as a transit point for workers than pilgrims, who mostly leave through Jiddah, further south.
Egyptian workers often take ships from Saudi Arabia back home across the Red Sea.
A ship owned by the same company collided with a cargo ship at the southern entrance to the Suez Canal in October, causing a stampede among passengers trying to escape the sinking ship. Two people were killed and 40 injured.
Updated: 8:26 a.m. ET Feb. 3, 2006
CAIRO, Egypt - An Egyptian ferry carrying around 1,300 people sank in the Red Sea overnight and while 12 people have been rescued, dozens of bodies were recovered and fears are that hundreds perished.
“Dozens of bodies were picked up from the sea ... they were from the ferry,” a police source at the port of Sa***a said.
The 35-year-old ship, the Al-Salaam Boccaccio 98, sank 40 miles off the Egyptian port of Hurghada.
The cause was not immediately known, but there were high winds and a sandstorm overnight on Saudi Arabia’s west coast, where the ship departed from Thursday evening.
Ayman al-Kaffas, a spokesman for the Egyptian Embassy in London, told the BBC that “a massive search and rescue effort” was under way, and confirmed that “dozens of bodies of victims” had been pulled from the water.
Other ships, among them a British warship, and Egypt's Coast Guard raced to the scene, while helicopters looked for survivors from the air.
Officials said the ferry met safety requirements and that the number of passengers on board was less than the capacity.
The agent for the ship in Saudi Arabia, Farid al-Douadi, said the vessel was in good condition, and that the passengers were mostly Egyptians but included Saudis, Sudanese and other nationalities.
Marzouk said the ship — built in 1971 and renovated in 1990 in an Egyptian shipyard — was carrying 1,318 people, including a crew of 96. It's capacity is more than 1,400.
The ship disappeared from radar screens shortly after sailing from the western Saudi port of Dubah at 7 p.m. local time on Thursday night, maritime officials in Suez said.
Coastal stations did not receive any SOS message from the crew, said Adel Shukri, the head of administration at el-Salaam Maritime Transport Company, which owns the ferry.
The ship was due in at Egypt's port of Sa***a at 3 a.m. local time, the officials added.
Dubah and Sa***a lie virtually opposite each other at the northern end of the Red Sea, which is an extremely busy sea route. In addition to east-west traffic between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, there is north-south traffic through the Suez Canal and to and from the Israeli and Jordanian ports of Eilat and Aqaba.
Initial reports said some of the passengers may have been Muslim pilgrims returning from the hajj, which ended nearly a month ago. But the Saudi port of Dubah is known more as a transit point for workers than pilgrims, who mostly leave through Jiddah, further south.
Egyptian workers often take ships from Saudi Arabia back home across the Red Sea.
A ship owned by the same company collided with a cargo ship at the southern entrance to the Suez Canal in October, causing a stampede among passengers trying to escape the sinking ship. Two people were killed and 40 injured.
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02-03-2006, 01:13 PM
#10
BRAD SCHOENWALD
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Re: Cruise Ship With 1,300 People Disappears?
Originally Posted by Ron P
Damn that thing looks a little top heavy. 
