Copyright euroweeklynews
A GROUP of Almeria residents were left reeling after they suddenly needed to be evacuated from a cruise ship, during its journey in Egypt. The fire, which broke out on the ship on Tuesday, October 28, destroyed the ship and some belongings of the passengers, but all cruise ship passengers were evacuated safely and with no injuries. A blaze breaks out; passengers evacuated and unharmed The ship, called the Iberotel Crown Empress, had been sailing on the famed Nile River in Egypt, off the city of Luxor, when the fire broke out in the ship’s bar area, reportedly caused by an electric short circuit. The blaze, which began at around 6:15pm, spread to other parts of the vessel. Crew members activated the emergency alarm and passengers were quickly moved to the upper decks. The cruise ship then made an emergency docking at an unofficial port in the Egyptian city of Esna so that passengers could be evacuated. Firefighters, according to reports, were on the scene immediately and were able to quickly extinguish the flames, whereas all passengers, believed to be around 220 people, most of whom were foreign tourists and ten of whom were Almeria residents, were promptly evacuated onto another nearby ship. The damage was concentrated inside the ship and was significant, destroying the cabins and having spread through the entire hull, but no injuries were reported, though three crew members were taken to the hospital. The fire had broken out on the first day of what was to be a 12-day Egyptian cruise. Onboard were many holidaymakers of many different nationalities, including the aforementioned 10 Almeria residents. The Empress‘ reign, cut short The Iberotel Crown Empress had been a spectacular, five-star sea vessel, boasting panoramic sliding windows, elegantly furnished cabins, a swimming pool, a sun deck with loungers, a pool bar, a sauna, a massage parlour, and an onboard restaurant. The cruise ship had been built in 2004. Read more news from Almeria here.
