Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-04-13

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Sunken cruiseship's 'black box' located

[01] Sunken cruiseship's 'black box' located

Two passengers out of the roughly 1,500 people on board - a French man and his daughter - went missing after the boat sank and are still unaccounted for.

Experts said data on the recorder will shed ample light on the causes of the accident and will be turned over the investigating authorities as evidence. The 'black box' - actually painted a bright orange so that it can be easily located - will have recorded everything from the time of the impact, including the towing and eventual sinking of the ship.

Efforts have begun to recover the data recorder using the two robot craft supplied by the Greek Centre for Marine Research, which are equipped with electronic arms and will attempt to enter the vessel's interior. If the robot craft fails because of the sunken ship's position on the ocean floor, the effort will continue using professional deep-sea divers.

Meanwhile, the Naxos public prosecutor in charge of the investigation into the shipwreck has asked to be given access to the records for mobile phones owned by the skipper of the 'Sea Diamond' and company representatives that spoke with him around the time of the accident.

IMO praises rescue operation

In a related development, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos congratulated the merchant marine ministry on its handling of the "Sea Diamond" maritime accident, in a letter sent to Minister Manolis Kefaloyiannis on Friday.

According to a ministry announcement, Mitropoulos praises the ministry and noted that the rescue of so many passengers and crew confirms the high efficiency of the ministry's search-and-rescue services, as well as the support provided by local seafarers.

Caption: An aerial photo shows the 'Sea Diamond' hours before it sunk into Santorini's Caldera, Thursday, April 5, 2007. ANA-MPA / STR

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