Video: 'Why did they allow it to sail!? - Al Salam Boccaccio 98 Ferry Disaster (What The History E02)'
(Friday, February 3, 2006, 1:33 a.m. Eastern European Time) — An Egyptian passenger ferry carrying more than 1,400 people sank in the Red Sea overnight during stormy weather, killing more than 1,000 passengers in one of the deadliest maritime disasters in the region’s history, Egyptian officials said today.
The vessel, the MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98, went down early today while traveling from the Saudi port of Duba to Safaga, Egypt, after encountering rough seas and strong winds.
Rescue teams pulled hundreds of survivors from the water, but hopes of finding additional survivors faded as daylight revealed a vast field of debris and bodies floating across the choppy sea.
Officials said many of those aboard were Egyptian migrant workers returning home from Saudi Arabia. Survivors reported panic as the ship began listing sharply before capsizing, with passengers scrambling for life jackets and lifeboats in near darkness.
“We heard a loud crash and the ship suddenly tilted,” said one survivor, speaking from a hospital in Safaga. “People were screaming. Many jumped into the sea.”
Egyptian naval forces and Saudi rescue crews mounted a large-scale search-and-rescue operation, deploying helicopters, patrol boats and commercial vessels. By midmorning, officials said more than 300 people had been rescued, but more than 1,000 were believed dead or missing.
Questions quickly arose about the ferry’s safety record and whether it was properly equipped to handle severe weather. The al-Salam Boccaccio 98 had been operating for years on the busy Red Sea route, frequently used by laborers and pilgrims. Relatives of passengers gathered at ports and hospitals, anxiously awaiting word of loved ones.
President Hosni Mubarak ordered an investigation into the sinking and declared a period of mourning, while critics accused authorities of lax enforcement of maritime safety standards.
The disaster is among the worst ferry accidents in modern history and is expected to intensify scrutiny of passenger ship safety across the region, where overcrowding and aging vessels are common.
As rescue crews continued their grim search, officials said the final death toll was likely to rise.
