Ferry carrying more than 1,200 people catches fire off Jordan, no casualties

Ferry carrying more than 1,200 people catches fire off Jordan, no casualties

2011-11-04 04:12:40 GMT+7 (ICT)

CAIRO, EGYPT (BNO NEWS) -- An Egyptian ferry boat carrying more than 1,200 people caught fire off the coast of Jordan on early Thursday morning, officials said, but there were no reports of casualties.

The Red Sea Ferry, which was carrying a total of 1,230 passengers, caught fire at around 8.45 a.m. local time after departing from Jordan's only seaport in the coastal city of Aqaba. The ferry boat was heading toward Nuweiba, located on Egypt's northeastern Sinai Peninsula.

The blaze broke out while the ferry was approximately 15 nautical miles (27 kilometers) off the coast of Jordan. An emergency was immediately signaled as the crew ordered passengers to board the life rafts and prepare for an evacuation.

Even though the fire was quickly extinguished, it took several hours before the evacuation was complete and 40 ambulances were deployed to coastal areas in the event someone was injured. But despite initial reports that one person was killed, authorities later said there were no casualties.

"All Egyptian and Jordanian travelers had been evacuated and no deaths have been reported," Nabil Lofti, Deputy Chairman of the Al-Jisr Al-Arabi company, which operates the ferry boat, was quoted as saying by Egyptian media.

Most of the passengers on board the boat were Egyptians working in Jordan and were returning home for a religious holiday which begins on Sunday.

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