1300 rescued from sinking ship
Published: October 18, 2005
The passenger ship, Al Salam 95, which is owned by the Egyptian company el-Salam Maritime Transport, was en route from the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah and was carrying pilgrims returning from Mecca. “We concentrated on saving lives,” said Essam Sharaf, Egypt’s transport minister. “The boat that carried people has sunk now. Thank God that we moved all the people from there.”
Rescue operations had focused on the passenger ship and there were no details of the state of the Cypriot ship or its crew, the minister said.
According to Egypt’s Middle East News Agency, most of the pilgrims were Egyptian but at least five Palestinians were also on board. The agency said the Cypriot ship was entering the Red Sea after crossing the Suez canal from the Mediterranean when it crashed into the passenger ship, gouging a five-metre (16ft) hole in its side, which allowed sea water to flood its engine room.
The collision happened near Port Tawfiq, about 80 miles east of the Egyptian capital, Cairo. Port officials estimated losses from the accident of around $7m (£4m). The passenger ship had a gross tonnage of 5,857 tonnes and room for 2,221 passengers, according to el-Salam Maritime Transport’s website.
Two people died and at least 40 were injured.
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