GREECE:Human error contributed to the sinking of a cruise ship carrying more than 1,500 mainly foreign passengers off the island of Santorini last week, Greece said yesterday.
The 22,412-tonne Sea Diamond, run by Louis Cruise Lines, hit a reef on Thursday close to the scenic Aegean island, one of Greece's most popular tourist destinations. It was evacuated within hours but two French tourists, a father and daughter, are missing.
The ship sank early on Friday, surprising the government, which had declared the operation a major success. "Most definitely there was also human error," merchant marine minister Manolis Kefaloyannis said after meeting prime minister Costas Karamanlis. "What concerns us now and where we focus our actions is environmental protection . . . and finding the two missing French tourists," he said.
Mr Kefaloyannis has been under fire for publicly praising the rescue operation and declaring all aboard safely evacuated. Many passengers described a slow, chaotic evacuation, accused the crew of being unwilling to help and complained of a shortage of life vests.
- (Reuters)