Passengers Say Crew Didn’t Help Much With Evacuation

Passengers rescued from a blazing cruise ship complained Sunday that the crew provided little help. But the Cypriot ship’s owner lauded its staff for “exceptional work” in saving lives.

Lifeboats and helicopters ferried all 482 passengers and 182 crew members from the MS Romantica soon after it caught fire Saturday morning as it cruised the Mediterranean, 65 miles off Cyprus.

They were brought ashore to this south Cyprus port while the stricken ship, still belching smoke, was being towed toward port.

“There was no crew telling us what to do, it was complete confusion … a total nightmare,” said Pauline Pession, a British passenger.

But Michael Anastasiades, the owner of the Romantica, denied that crew members were negligent.

“On the contrary, they did exceptional work … which helped to save lives,” he told Cyprus television.

Meanwhile, the 10,500-ton Romantica was about 40 miles south of Limassol on Sunday, with a fire-fighting vessel spraying its sides to prevent its steel plates from overheating.