Egypt: Ferry owner delayed news of sinking
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-08 07:01

The St. Catherine captain, Salah Jomaa, said he left port at 2:45 a.m., meaning the company was aware the ship was in danger by that time.

After repeatedly failing to make radio contact, Jomaa said he placed a satellite telephone call to the captain of the Al-Salaam Boccaccio 98 but received no answer.

Jomaa said he finally made contact at 6:57 a.m. with another officer of the ship who said he was in a lifeboat and the ship had gone down.

Jomaa said he reported the sinking to the Al Salam Maritime office in Safaga at 7:05 a.m.

The manager of the company gave a similar account to The Associated Press last week but did not provide any times.

"Our agent in Safaga informed us that the ship was late, so we started making inquiries," said Mamdouh Orabi, an Al Salam Maritime manager. "At the same time, one of the ships we operate (the St. Catherine) was heading for Dubah.

"We informed its crew, which later reported that there were people on a rescue boat in the sea, so we notified the relevant authorities."

In an unusually biting column in the Egyptian government-owned Al-Ahram daily Tuesday, columnist Salama Ahmed Salama accused authorities of "impotence, failure and inefficiency in facing catastrophes."

The tragedy proves the government's "hardheartedness and indifference in dealing with the human feelings of thousands of citizens who lost their loved ones, as a result of negligence and corruption," he wrote. "The government and its officials — who feel no responsibility — should be questioned about this tragedy."

Awad said Mubarak told the Cabinet the catastrophe had shaken him and all Egyptians and that the investigation of the tragedy would uncover its true cause.

"Those who are responsible will not escape without punishment," Awad quoted Mubarak as saying. "There is no one in Egypt who is above law or questioning, and as an Egyptian, I am angry and sad for what happened."

Al-Jazeera television reported Tuesday that Saudi authorities refused to allow passengers to board an Egyptian ferry that authorities deemed unsafe.

"The ferry arrived in Duba about midnight Monday. We made our checks and found it was in a bad state. It was old," the Arab network quoted a Saudi port official as saying.