Fire breaks out on luxury liner

2006-03-23 21:20

Miami - One passenger died and 11 were hurt when a blaze engulfed the passenger decks of a Princess Cruises ship on Thursday.

The vessel was sailing from the Cayman Islands to Jamaica at the time, the cruise line said.

The blaze aboard the Star Princess, which was carrying 2 690 passengers and 1 123 crew, was extinguished, but there was smoke throughout the affected area, Princess Cruises, owned by Carnival Corporation, said in a statement.

"We deeply regret having to confirm that there has been one passenger fatality following a cardiac arrest, two passengers with significant smoke inhalation injuries and nine passengers with minor complications resulting from smoke inhalation," the statement said.

A hundred cabins affected

The United States coast guard said 100 cabins from decks nine to 12 were affected by the fire, which broke out at 03:10 as the ship was heading from Grand Cayman Island to Montego Bay, Jamaica.

The ship arrived in Montego Bay later in the morning and the Coast Guard dispatched investigators to determine the cause of the fire.

The ship sailed from Fort Lauderdale on March 19 on a weeklong Caribbean cruise.

The 109 000-ton Star Princess is registered in Bermuda and sailed its maiden voyage in 2002.

Following the blaze, Carnival Corporation reported a 19% drop in first-quarter earnings. Its stock fell about 5% in mid-morning trading.

- Reuters