17 February 2006
A team of experts has located the ferry that sank this
month in the Red Sea, killing about 1 000 people, an Egypt
transportation ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
Mohammed Amin said the team, which includes experts from
France and Britain, found the Al-Salaam Boccaccio 98 on
Thursday about 89km from the Egyptian port of Safaga at
a depth of about 800m.
The team will use a robot in an attempt to recover the
data recorder -- equivalent to the black box on an airplane
-- that could explain what caused the tragedy, Amin said.
A ship carrying the robot is headed to the scene, Amin
said. It is expected to be over the sunken ferry by Saturday
night.
The data recorder can provide information such as the exact
route and wind direction to "reveal the secrets and
the circumstances" of the sinking, Amin said.
The ferry was carrying about 1 400 people when it sank
earlier this month after a fire broke out on its journey
from Saudi Arabia to Safaga.
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