CAIRO: A preliminary report into what caused an Egyptian ferry to sink in the Red Sea last month with the loss of about 1,000 lives would be released in two months time, the expert in charge of the investigation said Wednesday.
Mohammed Abdel-Fattah Shama said the final report would not be ready until two months after the initial report is out.
It s too soon to announce results or deductions. The preliminary report will not be ready before two months, the final report at least two months after that, he told a news conference.
The data recorder of the ferry, Al-Salaam Boccaccio 98, was recovered last month about a half-mile down on the sea floor with the help of two International Maritime Organization experts from France and Britain. The team used a robot to recover the recorder, which is now being analyzed in Britain.
The Al-Salaam was carrying 1,414 people when it sank Feb. 3 after a fire broke out while it was en route from Saudi Arabia to the Egyptian port of Safaga. Many of the passengers were Egyptian workers returning from jobs in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. AP
