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Feb 3, 2006 5:38 am US/Eastern
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Egyptian Cruise Ship Disappears In Red Sea
Lifeboats Spotted In Vicinity, Officials Say
CAIRO (AP) ―
An Egyptian cruise ship with 1,300 people on board has disappeared in the Red Sea off the Saudi coast, Egyptian maritime officials said Friday.
Egyptian maritime officials say lifeboats containing people have been spotted in vicinity of where cruise
liner was last seen on radar.
The ship "Salaam 98" disappeared from radar screens shortly after sailing from the port of Dubah, western Saudi Arabia, at 7 p.m. local time on Thursday night, maritime officials in Suez said.
Saudi and Egyptian naval vessels and helicopters were searching for the ship. They spoke on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to address the media.
The ship was to have arrived at Egypt's southern port of Safaga at 3 a.m. local time, the officials added.
"We lost all contact with the ship shortly after it left the Saudi port," said one maritime official at Suez. Its last position on the radar screens was 62 miles from Dubah.
An Egyptian helicopter spotted a lifeboat carrying three people, an official said. He added the search was being hampered by bad weather.
The ship is owned the Egyptian company El-Salaam Maritime Transport Co. and was carrying 1,300 passengers, the official added. Some of the passengers are believed to be pilgrims returning from the annual hajj to Mecca, which ended last month.
(© 2006 CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)