Ferry survivors faced sharks
2006-02-05 18:18
Cairo - Any passengers who managed to scramble off the stricken Al-Salam Boccaccio 98 with lifevests would have had to battle dangerous Red Sea sharks, as well as cold waters and strong currents, said local divers.
"There's everything in the Red Sea, but I wouldn't like to meet a tiger shark or an oceanic white-tipped shark," said Jonathan Mellor of the Aplha Red Sea diving centre in Safaga, the doomed ferry's port of destination in Egypt.
Almost three days after the ageing vessel sank, close to 1 000 of the 1 415 people on board are missing or dead and less than 100 bodies had been recovered by medical teams on the Egyptian shores.
For those who found a place on one of the liferafts, the target was to hang on long enough to be spotted by a helicopter or ship involved in the search-and-rescue operations.
But the chances of survival were slimmer for those who jumped off the Al-Salam with only a lifevest. Water temperatures hover around 20°C to 22°C.
Too much screaming and crying
So far, less than 400 people have been confirmed to have been pulled out of the Red Sea.
Mohammed Sharaf Mustapha, a Cairo teacher who works in Saudi Arabia, was well aware of the multi-toothed danger below him when his lifeboat waited for help in the night.
"In the water, we were frozen, it felt less than zero... There was too much screaming and crying, people left for hours in the water.
"They will be looking for the bodies for weeks. Maybe the sharks ate them," he said.
300 different type of shark
A doctor at Hurghada Hospital, north of Safaga, admitted that the presence of sharks was one of the many elements affecting the chances of finding more survivors.
At least 300 different types of sharks have been listed in the Red Sea, a region of unmatched marine diversity.
Mellor said: "You will find the most dangerous - such as the white-tipped, the tiger or the hammerhead who can be aggressive when he's looking for food - beyond the immediate vicinity of the shores, where the survivors are."