Giant Waves Hits ship in Mediterranean

Passengers on board a cruise ship that was hit by monstrous waves in the Mediterranean described scenes of pandemonium as water shattered windows and poured through the vessel. Two passengers, a German and an Italian, died, and a spokesman for the ship’s owner, Louis Cruise Lines, said they had been killed by flying glass and moving furniture when the waves hit on Wednesday. (more...)

The spokesman said 14 other passengers suffered minor injuries. The ship, which was carrying 1,350 passengers and 580 crew members, was hit with three waves of more than 33 feet off the northeast coast of Spain, the spokesman said. Large waves are not rare in the Mediterranean, but ones that size occur only once or twice a year, said an oceanographer with the Spanish government. {C} (less)

Added: 5 Mar 2010