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 Wednesday, 19 November 2008 |
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Greek Cruise Ship Hits Rocks, Sinks |
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Written by John F. L. Ross - Associated Press
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Saturday, 07 April 2007 |
Greek Cruise Ship Sinks
 The Sea Diamond, which sank fully on Friday, struck a reef off the Greek Island of Santorini in the eastern Aegean Sea.
Navy divers are still searching the sunken wreckage
of a cruise ship on Friday for the bodies of a Frenchman and his
daughter who disappeared after the vessel foundered on a volcanic
reef - the only two people missing despite what passengers
described as a chaotic evacuation in the Aegean Sea.
Nearly 1,600 people were retrieved from the sinking ship in a
three-hour rescue operation, but some passengers complained of an
insufficient supply of life vests, little guidance from crew
members and being forced into a steep climb down rope-ladders to
safety.
"The crew members were more scared than we were," said Lizbeth
Mata, 15, a native of the Dominican Republic who was vacationing
with her parents and brother. Mata said some crew members left
before the passengers: "They were yelling and screaming - didn't
know what to do."
The 469-foot Sea Diamond struck rocks Thursday in the sea-filled
crater formed by a massive volcano eruption 3,500 years ago off the
island of Santorini. Tourists gathered on clifftops to watch the
rescue effort at the reef, which is marked with warning lights and
clearly indicated on navigation charts. The ship sank about a
quarter-mile off the island's coast, in waters of uneven depth, a
few minutes before it was to dock.
The ship's operator, Louis Cruise Lines, said the Frenchman and
his teenage daughter were the only passengers missing, and insisted
the 21-year-old vessel had been well maintained.
"The vessel maintained the highest level of safety standards
and was equipped with the latest navigation systems," spokesman
Giorgos Stathopoulos said.
The captain and five officers were summoned to appear at a
public prosecutor's office on the island of Naxos to make a formal
declaration of their version of events, which is standard procedure
in such incidents. No charges have yet been filed, as it remains
very early in the investigation.
State-run NET television said that investigators believed most
of the damage to the ship's hull was done before the captain issued
the distress signal, when he was trying to maneuver the ship away
from the rocks.
Earlier, private vessels siphoned oil from the stricken ship in
order to prevent further fuel leakage after a small oil slick
appeared.
"The evacuation was orderly and successful. Every decision was
taken in a way that would not endanger lives," Merchant Marine
Minister Manolis Kefaloyannis said.
The missing French passengers were identified as Jean-Christophe
Allain, 45, and his 16-year-old daughter, Maud, from
Doue-la-Fontaine in western France.
Divers inspected the sunken ship in search of their bodies.
Minister Fanny Palli Petralia, who spoke with Allain's wife,
said the family's cabin filled with water when the ship struck the
reef.
"She was not sure whether her husband and daughter made it out
because things happened so suddenly ... in a few seconds. Her other
child was up on deck and was evacuated safely."
Thursday's evacuation was the largest Greek rescue operation
since September 2000 Express Samina ferry disaster, which killed 80
people near the holiday island of Paros when the ferry struck rocks
and sank.
"We realized there was a serious problem ... we exited our
cabin and it was tough to be able to walk out of the ship. A lot of
people were very emotional over it, upset, very frightened," said
Stephen Johnson, a Canadian tourist who was among the 1,547
passengers and crew rescued.
Passengers on the cruise were mostly American, and also included
groups from Canada and Spain, France and the Dominican Republic.
Some of those rescued said they had confused the grinding sound
when the ship first hit the rocks with the ship's dropping anchor.
Australian passenger Katie Sumner said the early stages of the
rescue were chaotic.
"We heard a big shudder and then the whole boat started to
tilt," Sumner said.
"All of our glasses were sliding everywhere and our warning
that the ship was sinking was some of the staff running down the
corridor screaming out 'life jackets' and banging on doors, so we
got no time to, sort of, get ready or anything, we just left as we
were." |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 07 April 2007 )
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