"Samina" Death Toll Rises; Second Ferry Runs Aground
DATELINE: 09/30/2000 - UPDATE
The car and passenger ferry Express Samina traveling from Piraeus bound for Paros has sunk. Search operations are winding down; seventy-eight persons are confirmed dead. The death toll is expected to rise as as many as 10 passengers remain missing, and others, including young children and those who bought tickets on the ship itself, were not properly entered on the ship's manifest.
The Express Samina was carrying over 500 people, 447 listed passengers and 63 crewmen. Over 450 are known to have reached shore where they are being treated for injuries and hypothermia at local Parian health facilities. The ferry left Piraeus at 5pm on Tuesday afternoon, heading for Paros and then intending to travel on to Naxos, Ikaria, Samos, and Patmos.
The ship hit the islet of Portos and cracked, taking on water rapidly before sinking. Survivors interviewed by the BBC compared the sinking to that of the Titanic; early reports indicated the ship began to sink immediately after the impact. Official word is that the vessel took about 45 minutes to sink after hitting the charted islet which also has a navigational light warning vessels to keep away. The captain, Vassilis Yannakis, and crew were allegedly watching a soccer game on television as the ship made its fateful approach. The Captain, his deputy, and three other crew members have been jailed pending an investigation of "criminal negligence" in the accident; Supreme Court prosecutor Panagiotis Dimopoulos has announced he will seek murder indictments against some crew members.
The Captain has stated that he was not watching the game on television, as had been alleged, but admitted he was asleep in his cabin at the time of the accident. A young, inexperienced crew member was at the wheel; when the Captain did arrive on the bridge, he apparently delayed initiating emergency procedures, not understanding the gravity of the situation. But contrary to earlier reports, four lifeboats were successfully launched before the ship went down.
At least one crew member apparently tried to warn of the impending crash, but his warning either came too late or was ignored.
The BBC reports that UK citizens, Russians, Germans, Italians, Australians, South Africans and many Greeks were on the vessel at the time of the accident. Royal Navy vessels in the area, including the HMS Livingston and the HMS Invincible participated in the rescue efforts and provided a helicopter to assist in the search.
Other local vessels from fishing boats to leisure craft aided in the rescue effort; apparently there was no time to lower lifeboats from the Express Samina. Many passengers were asleep at the time of the accident; others were allegedly told to stay in their seats long past the time an evacuation order should have been given. The bodies of six more people were found by divers inside the ship. These victims were all wearing life jackets but apparently never attempted to leave the sinking vessel until it was much too late.
The Express Samina is a 34-year-old, 450-foot, 4,407-ton vessel. Originally called the Golden Vergina, the vessel was sold for a low price recently, refurbished, and renamed.
A second vessel, the Express Artemis, also operated by Minoan, ran aground on a sand bar just outside Naxos Friday. None of the 1,081 passengers on board were injured in that incident.
Sources:
Athens News Agency
Frequent updates on rescue efforts available from the ANA.
Greek Island Hopping - Ferry Updates
Was the refurbished "Express Samina" still a "vessel from hell" according to this website?
Search for Greek Ferry Survivors
From the BBC, an account of rescue efforts.
Channel 9 News
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