13. The MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98
In 2006, the ship MS al-Salam Boccaccio was traveling from Saudi Arabia to Egypt when a fire broke out in the engine room. The ship was already in poor condition with drainage pumps that weren’t working. As the crew used fire hoses to extinguish the fire, the water from the hoses had started accumulating in the stern. The Captain radioed the ship’s owners for permission to return to port but the owners insisted he keep going.
The water building up in the hull eventually caused the ship to capsize, trapping hundreds of people. The weather hindered rescue efforts and over 1,000 people died in the Red Sea. In 2009, the owners of the ship were jailed for their careless actions resulting in the staggering death toll.
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