An Egytpian ferry carrying about 1,400 people has sunk in the Red Sea

[Don Rizzle]

Egyptian ferry sinks in Red Sea
An Egytpian ferry carrying about 1,400 people, most of them Egyptians, has sunk in the Red Sea.
Bodies have been seen in the water but also survivors in lifeboats.

The al-Salam Boccaccio 98 disappeared shortly after leaving the port of Duba in Saudi Arabia on Thursday evening, bound for Safaga in southern Egypt.

The ship was last recorded as being 100km (62 miles) from Duba. Rescue boats and helicopters are searching the area, but the weather is poor.

The ship was carrying 1,310 passengers and 96 Egyptian crew, Jan Maher, a spokesman for the ship's Egyptian company, el-Salam Maritime Transport, told the BBC.


Most of the passengers are Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia although some are thought to be pilgrims returning from Mecca.
There were about 100 people from other countries, including Saudis and Somalis, Capt Maher said.

"We don't know how many casualties there are or how the ship sank," he said.

The al-Salam Boccaccio 98 is 30 years old.

The head of administration at el-Salam Maritime Transport, Adel Shukri, said he was not aware of any SOS from the crew.

The ship had been due to arrive at Safaga at about 0300 local time (0100 GMT).

Four Egyptian frigates are looking for survivors, Egypt's minister of transport, Mohammed Lutfy Mansour, said.

"The Coast Guard is doing every in its power to try to rescue these people," he said.

Britain has sent the warship HMS Bulwark to help and it will arrive in a day-and-a-half, the Royal Navy said.


 This is not the first and not the last incident that we will see with ferries in this region
Vadim Smith, Brussels, Belgium 

A spokesman for the Egyptian embassy in London, Ayman al-Kaffas, said there was "a vast area of water" for the rescue operation to cover.

Asked about the delay in the disappearance being reported, he said the rescue operation had started just after midnight, within an hour or an hour-and-a-half of the ship going missing.

Shipping expert Paul Beaver told the BBC that overloading should not have been a problem as the vessel had a capacity of 1,400.

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.


If you have any information you would like to share with the BBC, send us your comments using the form below:

There are police all around Duba. You would have thought there was a terrorist incident. The place is going crazy. Hopefully, they can recover as many survivors as they can.
Nick Clarke, Duba, Saudi Arabia


This is not the first and not the last incident that we will see with ferries in this region. It is a shame that modern technology cannot be used to improve rescue efforts in such cases as surely it is available but as ever, lack of funding results not only in accidents but in delaying any rescue efforts that maybe initiated.
Vadim Smith, Brussels, Belgium


This will shock many people throughout the Arab and Muslim world, because not only were people from Egypt coming from Saudi Arabia from their place of work but many were also returning from the holy pilgrimage of Hajj.
Ahmed Abdulla, Isleworth, London, UK



Most people using that route are coming back from the Hajj with heavy loads of luggage and mostly families of Egyptian workers from their Eid holidays and street vendors or suppliers.
Mohamed T. Mahagoub, Shrewsbury - Uk


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Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/4676916.stm

Published: 2006/02/03 12:26:18 GMT

[Kassem]

shit 1400 that shit is crazy

[big mat]

the read sea is infested by sharks

[Suga Foot]

I heard about that on the radio today 

[coola]

holy shit... thats fucked... crazy tragedy, r.i.p.

[big mat]

1 400 people that are not rioting the streets today

[K A I N]

They ethered themselves, not enough lifeboats...yawns.

[Kassem]

They ethered themselves, not enough lifeboats...yawns.

you think thats funny read this

Survivors of the Red Sea ferry disaster have said the captain and his crew were first to flee the burning ship by lifeboat and abandoned them to their fate.


Some passengers plucked alive from the sea or from boats after the ferry caught fire and sank early on Friday said on Saturday that the crew had told them not to worry about a fire below deck and even ordered them to take off lifejackets.
   
The survivors said a fire broke out below deck shortly after the 35-year-old vessel left the Saudi port of Duba on Thursday evening.

Shihata Ali, an Egyptian survivor, said the passengers had told the captain about the fire but he told them not to worry.
   
"We were wearing lifejackets but they told us there was nothing wrong, told us to take them off and they took away the lifejackets," he said. "Then the boat started to sink and the captain took a boat and left."

Another survivor said: "The captain was the first to leave and we were surprised to see the boat sinking." 

Other survivors also reported that the crew played down the gravity of the situation and withheld lifejackets.
   
Abd al-Rauf Abd al-Nabi said: "There was a fire but the crew stopped the people from putting on lifejackets so that it wouldn't cause a panic."

Nadir Jalal Abd al-Shafi, another arrival on the same rescue boat, said: "There was a blaze down below. The crew said 'Don't worry, we will put it out'. When things got really bad the crew just went off in the lifeboats and left us on board."

what a coward(captain),

[white Boy]

the captain should be killed, and this is really a tragedy

[Kassem]

its worse the fucking crew had a lot of people locked in their compartment so they won't panic,geuess wat they left and forgot to unlock it

[coola]

ok, lets weigh it up... chance of people panicing vs. people panicing and having a better chance of survival.... hmmm... thats just fucked.

[K A I N]

The company said only 17 of the 96 crew members had been reported alive.

They didn't say whether or not the Captain survived 

[Don Rizzle]

survivors have also reported that the fire started whilst still in view of the suadi port but they continued on for 2 hours even after requests were made by the passengers to turn around

[coola]

^ what the fuck ?

[Kassem]

Some Dum Fucks