Egypt Finds Sunken Ferry Recorder

According to reports, Egyptian officials say they have recovered the data recorder for the ferry that sank in the Red Sea on 3 February, killing about 1,000 people. Transport minister said the recorder for the al-Salam 98 would be sent to the UK for analysis, which would take about a week. The recorder stores information about the vessel's location, direction of travel and weather conditions. It could explain why the ship sank as it crossed to Egypt from Saudi Arabia. Angry relatives The 35-year-old ferry was sailing in bad weather when it ran into trouble after a fire broke out below decks overnight in the early hours of 3 February. Only 388 out of more than 1,400 people on board survived the disaster. The wreckage was found in 800m (2,600 ft) of water, 90km (56 miles) from Egypt's port of Safaga. The accident prompted accusations of negligence from survivors and relatives. The crew have been accused of ignoring warnings to evacuate after the fire took hold and the ship began to list. Source: BBC