Ships Collide in Suez

An Egyptian ship carrying about 1,250 Muslim pilgrims back from Saudi Arabia and a Cypriot commercial vessel collided in the Gulf of Suez late on Monday, killing one and injuring 38. Egypt's transport minister said the passenger ship had since sunk after approximately 20 launches rescued the passengers. "We concentrated on saving lives. The boat that carried people has sunk now," transport minister Essam Sharaf said. He said he had no details of the state of the Cypriot ship or its crew, as rescue operations had concentrated on the passenger ship. The passenger ship, the "Al Salam 95," which is owned by the Egyptian company el-Salam Maritime Transport, was en route from the Saudi port of Jeddah after the passengers performed the umra, or lesser pilgrimage, in Mecca.