INDIAN OCEAN: ACHILLE LAURO: AERIAL VIEWS

(1 Dec 1994) Nat/Sot
The stricken cruise ship, the Achille Lauro, continued smouldering in the Indian Ocean on Thursday, a day after almost one-thousand people were rescued from a fire on board.
The ship is listing badly, and smoke is still pouring from it.
The cause of the blaze is not yet known.
These aerial pictures from the Indian Ocean, about 250 kilometres (160 miles) off Somalia, show the blackened side of the Achille Lauro with smoke still pouring out.
The vessel is listing badly to port at about 20 degrees, but doesn't appear to be about to sink.
Almost one-thousand passengers and crew had to be rescued when the fire broke out early on Wednesday.
They took to the life rafts, and were picked up by an armada of commercial vessels, including the Panamanian oil ship, Hawaiian King, seen here.
Two US navy warships, the USS Gettysburg and the USS Halyburton also joined the rescue.
US helicopters have been dropping supplies onto the rescue vessels.
The survivors are now being taken to the nearest ports - including Mombasa in Kenya, the Seychelles and Djibouti.
Two passengers are reported dead. Port officials in Rome say the ship was carrying 581 passengers and 404 crew.
The Achille Lauro left Genoa, Italy on November 19. It stopped in Israel and its next port of call was due to be Durban, South Africa.

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