GREECE:Hundreds of foreign tourists, including many American students, were safely evacuated from a Greek cruise ship that ran aground near the Aegean island of Santorini yesterday, authorities said.
In a few hours, all 1,153 passengers and most of 390 crew of the Greek-registered Sea Diamond, which was listing after its hull was holed, were brought to shore.
"All passengers have been evacuated successfully, only a small number of crew remain to control the situation," Mihalis Maratheftis, a spokesman for the Louis Cruise Lines firm running the ship, reported.
There were 730 Americans, 112 Spaniards, 100 French and many other nationalities among the passengers.
"There were many students from US colleges on educational trips," a Louis Lines spokesman told reporters.
"We will conduct an investigation into what happened and how."
Greek TV showed scenes of passengers climbing down the side of the listing ship on escape ladders and on to boats. Many were seen hugging each other once they reached Santorini.
"Thank God, our feet are touching ground," passenger Efstathios Fotidis told Greek Mega TV. "We heard a loud noise . . . a few minutes later the ship started listing." Authorities said the 22,412-tonne ship ran aground close to the shore of the picturesque island, one of Greece's most popular tourist destinations.
In September 2000, 82 people drowned when the Express Samina ferry hit rocks and sank off the island of Paros, a disaster that led to a major improvement of Greek ferry safety standards.
The first passengers abandoned the Sea Diamond on its lifeboats. Once the ship was stable, held by a tug boat and anchored, other passengers were quickly transferred to smaller vessels.
The Sea Diamond left the port of Piraeus on Monday for a five-day island cruise and had been due to return today, officials said.
Local officials said a helicopter, military planes and fishing boats had rushed to the scene to help with the rescue.
Greek tourism minister Fani Palli-Petralia said the ministry was talking to the island's hoteliers to find rooms for the passengers and that the government would pick up the bill.
"What concerns me at this moment is that the passengers suffer as little as possible, and the country's tourist image abroad," she told Greek TV. "The passengers showed great calm and there was no panic." - (Reuters)