400 leave ship after hoax

2004-06-15 20:22

Athens - Greek coastguards on Tuesday evacuated nearly 400 people from a passenger ship about to leave the Athens port of Piraeus following a bomb alert, Greek radio reported.

Around 380 passengers were disembarked from the passenger ship Marina after an anonymous phone call warned of a bomb, private radio station Flash reported.

But a search of the ship produced nothing and the passengers were allowed back on after about an hour, a Greek merchant marine ministry official said.

False bomb alerts, particularly against ferries, have increased in Athens since a string of arson and small bomb attacks raised security worries for the Athens August Olympic Games.

"Bomb hoaxes have multiplied... Things have become more difficult in the run-up to the Olympics," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"Many passengers who run late often call in with bomb alerts just to catch their ship. Most phone calls are made using phone cards, are very brief, and are impossible to trace," the official added.

- AFP