Fri, 03 Feb 2006 12:33:00
Egyptian cruise disaster
An Egyptian passenger ship carrying about 1,300 people sank in the Red Sea overnight during bad weather, and rescue ships arriving at the scene Friday pulled dozens of bodies from the water, an official said. About 30 survivors were rescued, some in lifeboats.
An Egyptian Embassy spokesman told the British Broadcasting Corp. that “dozens of bodies of victims” had been pulled from the choppy waters between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The 35-year-old ship, Al-Salaam Boccaccio 98, went down 40 miles off the Egyptian port of Hurghada, the head of the Egyptian Maritime Authority, Mahfouz Taha Marzouk, told The Associated Press. The cause was unknown.
Britain’s top naval officer said he had diverted a warship to the north Red Sea site and it will arrive within two days.
But Ayman al-Kaffas, a spokesman for the Egyptian Embassy in London, told the BBC that “a massive search-and-rescue effort” was underway, and “dozens of bodies of victims” had been pulled from the water.
“We have spotted several lifeboats with live passengers that we are trying to get to,” al-Kaffas said. “It’s a challenging operation due to the bad weather conditions.”
Here’s to hoping that more lifeboats will be found...this is a pretty big disaster.
*UPDATE*
I’m seeing some cheering and laughing from some folks on the right. That’s pretty shameful. It was wrong when certain Muslims cheered on 9/11. We all condemned it. Now you want to become them?
That’s the very definition of hypocritical.
Perhaps more of you need to read Michael Yon’s work and fucking learn something. There’s a lesson in this one in particular that some of you could stand to learn:
Over lunch with Chaplain Wilson and our two battalion surgeons, Major Brown and Captain Warr, there was much discussion about the “ethics” of war, and contention about why we afford top-notch medical treatment to terrorists. The treatment terrorists get here is better and more expensive than what many Americans or Europeans can get.
“That’s the difference between the terrorists and us,” Chaplain Wilson kept saying. “Don’t you understand? That’s the difference.”
I see for some of you, there is no difference. If I were some of you, and you know who you are, I would be ashamed of myself.
Posted by JimK at 12:33 PM on February 03, 2006
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Comments:
#2 Posted by Drumwaster 
on 02/03 at 07:47 PM -
One minor difference between this accident and 9/11. The Palis were dancing and singing and passing out candies for a deliberate act, not an Act of Allah.
#4 Posted by Drumwaster on 02/04 at 12:17 AM -
True. But lee points out that every time any kind of tragedy hits the US (such as 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina or the Columbia Shuttle explosion), it is because Allah is punishing us, but when earthquakes hit (Muslim) Pakistan or tsunamis hit (Muslim) Indonesia or ferries loaded with (Muslim) travellers returning from a (Muslim religious) journey, they say nothing about it.
Mjusane, y’know?
#5 Posted by JimK on 02/04 at 02:38 AM -
Still doesn’t make it right. It’s hypocritical and speaks to character, IMHO.
Anyone who is getting a big chuckle out of this is not only missing something vital, but has lost all rights to take the moral high ground on stuff like this in the future.
Next time something awful happens to Americans or whatever group a person cares about and someone else takes joy in it...everyone who got a big laugh today will probably ignore everything I said and point fingers accusingly and say how horrible they are, never taking a look at themselves and the hypocrisy and hate that lives in their own hearts.
Me? I’d rather hold on to just that much more of my humanity. I feel bad for these workers and their families. They’re not the enemy. They were men (and some women) coming home from a job.
#6 Posted by Drumwaster on 02/04 at 02:08 PM -
Actually, most of them were travellers returning from the hajj. IOW, they were on vacation.
But you do have a good point.
#7 Posted by JimK on 02/04 at 05:27 PM -
Only some of the reports even say that a large percentage were travellers. Most reports are saying the boats was loaded with workers...likely oil, I imagine...many off-manifest as well. Just folks. Trying to get home.
#8 Posted by artmonkey on 02/06 at 06:26 PM -
Jim, I’m not doubting you, but I have to admit, I haven’t seen a single person, left or right, taking any joy from this.
Maybe I’m just sheltered, or keep better company, but I haven’t seen it at all.
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#1 Posted by Yahonza
on 02/03 at 05:06 PM -
When you’re right you’re right. Anyone taking pleasure in this is sick fuck.
I’m appalled at Egypt for refusing Israel’s help in the rescue effort.