Egypt: Ferry on fire in Red Sea, official says
Relatives of victims of the 2006 ferry disaster in Egypt, in which more than 1,000 people died when the Al Salam 98 sunk after catching fire in the Red Sea, sit on a pier watching ships come and go as they wait for information at the Safaga Port, February 5, 2006.
A ferry carrying 1,200 people, mostly Egyptian workers returning home, has caught fire in the Red Sea, and a rescue operation is underway, according to reports.
The ferry was traveling from the port of Aqaba in Jordan, to the Egyptian port of Nuweiba, BBC News said. The Egyptian expatriate workers were returning home for the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which begins at sunset on Sunday, an unnamed Egyptian port official told the Associated Press.
Reuters reported that passengers escaped onto lifeboats when the fire broke out.
Egyptian Transport Minister Ali Zain el-Abdin said on state television that most of the passengers have been rescued, and about 80 percent of the fire is under control, Al Arabiya reported.
In 2006, more than 1,000 people died when an Egyptian ferry caught fire and sank in the Red Sea.
In 2009, two ferries collided on the Nile in north Egypt. No deaths were reported, despite initial reports of casualties.
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