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Ferry Boat Crash in Aegean Sea has No Apparent Cause

Aired September 27, 2000 - 2:13 p.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LOU WATERS, CNN ANCHOR: Greek officials say they're baffled by Tuesday night's deadly ferry disaster. Dozens of people were killed when the ship sank in the Aegean Sea after hitting some clearly marked rocks. As crews search for scores still missing, survivors are telling of the ship's panic-filled final moments.

John Draper of Britain's ITN has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN DRAPER, ITN REPORTER, (VOICE-OVER): Local people rushed onto the beaches to pull in the life boats as survivors -- cold, soaking wet and terrified -- did their best to clamber ashore. In the middle of the night there was utter chaos as distraught survivors, already in shock, attempt to find their loved ones, who had been separated when the ferry sank.

For those taking part in the rescue the priority was, of course, the living. But dozens of dead bodies were already floating in the Aegean Sea before the horror became clear by daylight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't think we were going to make it until we got in and I saw the chapel with the blue top. The whole time we were on the boat, I didn't think we would make it.

DRAPER: In the confusion, there appeared to be no obvious explanation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's difficult to make any explanation -- logical explanation.

DRAPER: Of the first survivors brought ashore, several were unconscious after spending so much time in the sea. Others were suffering from shock, but able to walk to waiting ambulances. Many of them were angry and distressed, asking about friends and family still missing.

By first light, helicopters searching for more survivors were the only clue to where the ferry had gone down. As empty life rafts were washed ashore on neighboring islands, the scale of the tragedy was becoming clearer. Many of those who had set out on an island-hopping journey had perished in the terror and confusion of the night.

Royal Navy helicopters from HMS Invincible, which had been taking part in an exercise in the area, helped in the desperate search for life. Survivors and the bodies of those who had died were pulled from the sea.

Some of those who had been rescued by the Royal Navy seeking helicopter were flown ashore still wearing the protective clothing they had been given by their rescuers.

These are recent pictures of the Express Samina, a vessel with a worrying reputation even before last night's disaster. The survivors, who included several Britons, had complained about a shortage of lifejackets. Perhaps the most puzzling question is how the ferry came to run ashore on a rocky outcrop which is a well-known and well-lit navigation mark.

The captain and four crew members had been arrested; one claim is that they were watching television.

John Draper, ITN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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