Egyptian passenger ship sinks in Red Sea

[mrsogni]

Just heard this on the news. Here's the link to more information:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11157659/

[JoeyandDavid]

mrsogni, what a horrendous thing to have happen.. I just keep rereading the part about the ship being 25 years old, is that OLD For a cruise ship? So sad….. my prayers go out to all

[Mebert]

What a tragic incident. My heart goes out to the families of the victims.

For a 35 year old ship, she sure looks modern on the exterior. I can't wait to hear the cause of the sinking. The ship seemed to be in compliance with the number of passengers on board. I saw lifeboats in the picture. I wonder if they do a muster drill or any kind of safety instruction before sailing? There were so few people recovered so far. I hope they find many more.

I don't mean to always be reactionary but I'm taking the muster drills a lot more seriously.

[JoeyandDavid]

35?? Im sorry the story I read said she was 25 oh well<] :sealedlips:

[Joanandjoe]

There have been a number of tragedies involving passenger/car ferries. While they are generally safe, a poorly distibuted load of cars, or a bulkhead not properly closed, can make a ferry unstable. This sinking is certainly a terrible situation.

[KarenUK]

Current news on the Tragic Ferry Sinking:-

'Many dead' as Egypt ferry sinks

Hundreds of people are feared to have died after an Egyptian ferry carrying about 1,400 people sank in the Red Sea.

Officials say nearly 200 bodies and up to 300 survivors were pulled from the water, but hundreds more remained unaccounted for as darkness fell.

The al-Salam Boccaccio '98 sank about 80km (50 miles) off Egypt during an overnight trip from Duba, Saudi Arabia.

The cause of the disaster is not known, but there were high winds when the 35-year-old vessel set sail.

The Egyptian transport minister said there had been no concerns about the seaworthiness of the ship. But President Hosni Mubarak has ordered an immediate inquiry into the cause and circumstances of the sinking.

"The vessel was well equipped with all lifeboats and all her certificates were valid, " Nizam Siddiqui said.

He ruled out the possibility of a collision with another ship, saying the other vessel would have reported the incident.

Shipping expert Paul Beaver told the BBC that overloading should not have been a problem.

There was a possibility one or more of the vehicles the ship was transporting could have moved, particularly in bad weather, he said.

A sister ship of the al-Salam '98 sank in the Red Sea in October after a collision. Two people were killed and 40 injured.

We have been watching the developing news as often as possible I fear there will be many more bodies found.

[Mebert]

I hope they find more survivors. 300 out of 1400 is so low.

[Shari2]

There were reports of crew telling people not to put on their life-jackets and locking some hysterical women in their rooms, and the captain and crew leaving in probably the only life boat that was lowered. Also, there were reports that they turned down offers of help from the US and another country. Don't know if all this is true, but if it is....shades of the Titanic and Oceanos.!!!! So sad... people could have been saved.