Post by ferryfast admin on Mar 30, 2006 17:14:11 GMT -5
March 30, 2006
Ferry Sinks Off the Coast of Bahrain
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) -- A ferry carrying up to 150 people sank Thursday night in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Bahrain, and at least 44 bodies had been recovered, the country's interior minister said. American divers and a U.S. helicopter aided the rescue effort.
Interior Minister Sheik Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa said at least 52 people had been rescued.
The official Bahrain News Agency said the ferry was on an evening cruise that was to last several hours. It overturned less than a mile off the coast, it said.
"There are 52 survivors and there are also 44 dead (bodies) that were retrieved," Al Khalifa said on Bahrain television. "So far, the (rescue) operations continue. God willing, there will be more survivors rescued."
Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Mohammed Ben Dayna said it was too early to say what caused the accident. Officials said an investigation had been launched.
The passengers on board were thought to be a mix of Bahrainis, other Gulf Arab nationals and Westerners. Ben Dayna told the news agency that those rescued included foreign tourists and expatriate workers living in Bahrain.
The interior minister said most of the ferry's passengers were employees of a Bahrain-based company and that they came from several nationalities.
Cmdr. Jeff Breslau, a spokesman for the Bahrain-based Navy 5th fleet, told The Associated Press that the U.S. military was aiding the rescue effort.
"We're sending divers, small boats and a helicopter right now," Breslau said.
A pair of helicopters could be seen from the shore flying low over the site of the incident. Rescue teams on small boats could also be seen using flash lights to help them search for survivors in the night.
The sinking came about two months after an Egyptian ferry sank in the Red Sea, killing about 1,000 people. The vessel was en route from the Saudi port of Dubah to the Egyptian port of Safaga when it went down before dawn about 60 miles off the Egyptian coast.
Ferry Sinks Off the Coast of Bahrain
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) -- A ferry carrying up to 150 people sank Thursday night in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Bahrain, and at least 44 bodies had been recovered, the country's interior minister said. American divers and a U.S. helicopter aided the rescue effort.
Interior Minister Sheik Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa said at least 52 people had been rescued.
The official Bahrain News Agency said the ferry was on an evening cruise that was to last several hours. It overturned less than a mile off the coast, it said.
"There are 52 survivors and there are also 44 dead (bodies) that were retrieved," Al Khalifa said on Bahrain television. "So far, the (rescue) operations continue. God willing, there will be more survivors rescued."
Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Mohammed Ben Dayna said it was too early to say what caused the accident. Officials said an investigation had been launched.
The passengers on board were thought to be a mix of Bahrainis, other Gulf Arab nationals and Westerners. Ben Dayna told the news agency that those rescued included foreign tourists and expatriate workers living in Bahrain.
The interior minister said most of the ferry's passengers were employees of a Bahrain-based company and that they came from several nationalities.
Cmdr. Jeff Breslau, a spokesman for the Bahrain-based Navy 5th fleet, told The Associated Press that the U.S. military was aiding the rescue effort.
"We're sending divers, small boats and a helicopter right now," Breslau said.
A pair of helicopters could be seen from the shore flying low over the site of the incident. Rescue teams on small boats could also be seen using flash lights to help them search for survivors in the night.
The sinking came about two months after an Egyptian ferry sank in the Red Sea, killing about 1,000 people. The vessel was en route from the Saudi port of Dubah to the Egyptian port of Safaga when it went down before dawn about 60 miles off the Egyptian coast.