Japanese passengers describe ordeal
Some of the 43 Japanese passengers on the wrecked Italian cruise ship talked about their ordeal when they were interviewed by NHK in a hotel in Rome.
65-year-old Seiji Inoue from Tokyo took part in the cruise to mark his retirement. He said the ship came to a sudden halt at around 9:45 PM on Friday and everything on the table fell onto the floor.
He said all the lights went out and the passengers panicked, but the crew told them that a generator had broken down and there was no need to worry.
Inoue recalled that the crew could not lower the lifeboats because the ship was listing, so he returned to the deck, climbed down a rope ladder and jumped onto a boat that was waiting on the sea.
He said he cannot believe an accident like the sinking of the Titanic could happen now.
A married couple in their 60s, also from Tokyo, said they were in the casino when the ship ran aground. They said the huge impact threw beer bottles onto the floor.
They said the crew had notified passengers that an evacuation drill would be held on Saturday, so some people thought the schedule was being moved up.
The couple said the ship was listing so badly that they could not walk. They added that they are worried about a pregnant foreign woman they saw on the ship.
Another Japanese survivor said he was having dinner in the restaurant at the time of the accident. He said the crew gave clear instructions for evacuation only one hour after the ship ran aground.
Sunday, January 15, 2012 22:48 +0900 (JST)
Please read complete article at link below:
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http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120115_30.html
KawamotoDragon.com
Sunday, January 15, 2012
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