ATHENS The captain and three crew charged with manslaughter for the sinking of the Greek ferry Express Samina faced prosecutors on Sunday just hours after news of a second fatal sinking in the Aegean Sea in five days.
An elderly American died overnight after a chartered boat, the Zeus Three, ran aground and sank off the Island of Naxos. Thirty, mostly American, passengers and seven crew survived the ordeal.
The Zeus Three sank in relatively calm seas not far from the holiday Island of Paros where the Express Samina sank last Tuesday, killing at least 77 people in gale force winds. Some 452 people were rescued from Express Samina but officials fear that the death toll in Greece's worst maritime disaster in 35 years will rise as divers explore deeper into the wreck, notably the car deck.
In a third incident, early on Friday, the ferry Express Artemis ran aground near the port of Naxos with 1,081 passengers on board.
No one was hurt but the two ferry incidents spurred the Greek government on Saturday to confine 65 cruise ships and ferry boats to port for failing to meet safety requirements. The captain and three crew of Express Samina were to appear before prosecutors on the Island of Syros, the regional capital, on Sunday where they were expected to describe their actions ahead of the sinking.
The accused are under a blanket charge of manslaughter and also face charges of violating international rules on avoiding collision, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship before the passengers.
Vassilis Yannakis, the captain, has said he regretted the loss of life and took overall responsibility as skipper of the ship.
His number two blamed the tragedy on bad weather.
(Reuter)