I'm surprised there hasn't been a thread for this already...

 

CAIRO, Egypt -- Rescue teams were scouring the dark waters of the Red Sea for survivors tonight after an Egyptian ferry carrying more than 1,400 people sank in stormy weather.

 

At least 185 bodies had already been pulled from the sea, and the number of dead was widely expected to climb sharply in the coming hours.

 

The ferry was believed to have sunk shortly after midnight this morning. Nearly 24 hours later, just 300 survivors had been found.

 

Saudi and Egyptian ships combed the waters, but the ferry had been missing for 10 hours in the cold waters by the time rescue efforts got underway. Even if the passengers survived until tonight, the overnight dip in temperature was likely to leave them in shock.

 

It was not immediately clear what caused the ferry to sink, but heavy winds and sandstorms were scraping over the Red Sea when the boat disappeared. The ferry didn't have enough lifeboats to save all of the passengers, a Egyptian presidential spokesman said.

 

President Hosni Mubarak "called for a swift investigation into what happened, and this will happen parallel to the rescue efforts," the spokesman, Suleiman Awad, told Egyptian state television. "This is not the first incident that happened, and we need to investigate why this happens. Is it a technical failure, a breach of safety regulation or what?"

 

After a late start, rescue efforts appeared to be hampered by confusion. Egyptian authorities at first turned down British and American offers to send ships to help hunt for survivors. A British warship on patrol nearby had already turned toward the site of the disappearance when Egypt called it off.

 

As the hours dragged by, however, the Egyptian government reversed its decision and asked both countries to send help.

 

Frantic families huddled in the Egyptian port town of Safaga, where the ferry had been due to make landfall before sunrise today.

 

The boat was crossing from the Saudi port of Dubah to Egypt, carrying mostly Egyptian workers who trek to the oil-rich Persian Gulf state to make a living. Many struggling Egyptians opt for the water crossing on their visits home because it is cheaper than an airplane ticket.

 

Along with more than 1,100 Egyptians, the boat was carrying almost 100 Saudis. There were also Syrians, Palestinians and at least one passenger each from the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Canada, Sudan and Yemen.

 

A spokesman for El Salam Maritime in Cairo, which owns the 35-year-old craft, said the ferry was inspected every 48 hours in both Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The ship was in good repair, said fleet manager Mamdouh Osaby.

 

"It looks abnormal because there was no distress message," Osaby said. "With the new, modern communication system, it's hard not to give any signal or message. It looks like it went down quickly."

 

Built to hold 2,000 people, the massive ferry was carrying just 1,317 passengers, along with 97 crew members, when it disappeared. The ferry offered varying accommodations depending on the fare paid. Passengers could sit in their cars, wander the ferry or rent cabins to sleep.

 

A team of federal investigators were airlifted immediately to Safaga to open an investigation into the causes of the ferry's disappearance. Along with experts from the Air and Marine Ports Security, there were five forensic experts and 20 doctors to begin identifying the bodies.

 

 

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...-home-headlines

I can't imagine that anyone else besides those who are already rescued are alive. Sad sad sad.

This is all very strange, there doesn't seem to be an explanation as to why the ship went down. I did hear one person say that maybe it was overloaded with too many passengers, cars, and cargo, but that is just speculation at this point.

 

According to a chart I saw on CNN earlier, it may rival the Titanic and Lusitania in death total when it is all over.

Just due to weather I guess.... I can't imagine it would've hit anything out there.

 

Why do some countries decline help from other nations when these kinds of things happen? It's just plain stubborn stupidity.

This is all very strange, there doesn't seem to be an explanation as to why the ship went down. I did hear one person say that maybe it was overloaded with too many passengers, cars, and cargo, but that is just speculation at this point.

 

According to a chart I saw on CNN earlier, it may rival the Titanic and Lusitania in death total when it is all over.

 

 

It's old, and the rough seas.

This is all very strange, there doesn't seem to be an explanation as to why the ship went down. I did hear one person say that maybe it was overloaded with too many passengers, cars, and cargo, but that is just speculation at this point.

 

According to a chart I saw on CNN earlier, it may rival the Titanic and Lusitania in death total when it is all over.

 

 

On NBC Nightly News they had a whole computer simulation of what happened... basically the vessel was poorly designed and the seas were rough and water came over the back side of the ship causing it to sink. If you saw a pic of the ship you'd easily be able to see how vulnerable the rear was.

Pat Robertson would say this is God's interference for the Arabs interfering with God's land.

This is all very strange, there doesn't seem to be an explanation as to why the ship went down. I did hear one person say that maybe it was overloaded with too many passengers, cars, and cargo, but that is just speculation at this point.

 

According to a chart I saw on CNN earlier, it may rival the Titanic and Lusitania in death total when it is all over.

 

That would be difficult...I'm pretty sure the Titanic death toll was about 1500.

Was walking by a tv and CNN just said that a a truck erupted into flames causing the boat to sink. Didn't catch anything else though.Terrorists?

Pat Robertson would say this is God's interference for the Arabs interfering with God's land.

 

 

The sad thing is that you're probably right.

Pat Robertson would say this is God's interference for the Arabs interfering with God's land.

 

 

The sad thing is that you're probably right.

I wouldn't put it past him, not after the "God is Angry at America, so he sent Katrina to hit the Gulf Coast" speech.

Pat Robertson would say this is God's interference for the Arabs interfering with God's land.

 

 

The sad thing is that you're probably right.

Pat Robertson would never say anything that rational. :plain

 

Anyways, this is pretty sad, and it shows why we have safety standards in the U.S.

Just heard on the NBC Nightly News that the ferry company is going to pay $3,000 to each family who lost someone.... ridiculous.

 

If this happened in America, it would probably be $30 million, not a measley $3 grand.

Just heard on the NBC Nightly News that the ferry company is going to pay $3,000 to each family who lost someone.... ridiculous.

 

If this happened in America, it would probably be $30 million, not a measley $3 grand.

 

30 mill each to 1000+ people?

 

What was teh cause of the accident, anyway?

Just heard on the NBC Nightly News that the ferry company is going to pay $3,000 to each family who lost someone.... ridiculous.

 

If this happened in America, it would probably be $30 million, not a measley $3 grand.

 

30 mill each to 1000+ people?

 

What was teh cause of the accident, anyway?

Well mabye $30 million was an exaggeration, but they'd at least have gotten a few million. The families of 9/11 victims all got something like ~$5 million or so, I believe.

Pat Robertson would say this is God's interference for the Arabs interfering with God's land.

 

 

 

i wish these self righteous religious cunts would stop saying such ignorant tings...