DJIBOUTI: Nearly half a century after its launch, the Achille Lauro sank into the Indian Ocean last night, its history of triumph and tragedy at an end.
It went down while under tow, a few nautical miles from where the blaze began. The fire took hold in the engine room before dawn on Wednesday and slowly spread to engulf the vessel.
The 979 surviving passengers and crew of the Italian liner were heading for three African and Middle Eastern ports aboard 10 rescue vessels after abandoning the blazing ship. The first were expected in Djibouti today.
Two elderly passengers died, one apparently of a heart attack, and eight people were injured as lifeboats and rafts were launched and the ship was abandoned.
Passenger Geoffrey Wall said the other victim was killed when the crew dropped an inflated raft on top of a lifeboat carrying 35 people.
But survivor Tony Webb praised the crew and ship's captain, Giuseppe Orsi, who was the last to abandon ship.