Here's Your Arab Boat Captain

Here's a story about how an ignorant boat captain ignores an emergency and ends up killing 1000 people. Of course he got himself out of there ASAP and is doing fine.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/05/international/africa/05egypt.html


"Two hours after we left, smoke started coming out," said Nazih Zaki, 27, who was returning home from his job as a cook in Saudi Arabia. "They tried to put it out but it kept going. The crew told us it was nothing, but then they got us life vests to wear. We stayed cruising six hours at sea, and then the boat started to tip."

Water began flooding the ship, and the vessel soon listed, lurched and began to sink, Mr. Zaki said.

"The ship is five stories tall but it took less than 15 minutes for it to go down," he said. "Then there was nothing at all, no rescue, nothing."

...

Other survivors described a tense standoff between the captain and many on the ship, as passengers and even some crew members began demanding the ship be turned around and return to Saudi Arabia as smoke poured out of the lower deck.

"By midnight there was serious fire on the bottom and smoke rising up to the fourth floor, and they kept saying we have control over the situation.," said Nabil Taghyan, 27, who survived by wearing a life jacket and boarding an inflatable raft.

Despite pleas to turn back, the captain insisted it would be better to steam ahead to Safaga, Mr. Taghyan said.

Mr. Taghyan said he ultimately saw the captain and crew flee using the lifeboats, while some passengers in life jackets tried to hang on to the ship and the debris. "The captain took the first speed boat, even though he should go last," Mr. Taghyan said. "There was yelling and screaming and people dying and there were people dead in their life vests, and there were huge waves."