Bahrain said this evening it had charged with manslaughter the captain of a cruise boat that capsized off its coast last week, killing 58 passengers, and detained its owner.
Prosecutor Nawaf Hamza said the owner of the twin-decked boat, which officials say was not licensed to sail, was ordered detained for seven days for questioning, the official news agency BNA reported.
"The captain contacted the owner when he noticed there were too many passengers ... the owner told him to sail despite this," said Hamza, adding that the owner had admitted the vessel was not insured.
Prosecutors said the captain and his assistant had been charged with manslaughter and other offences, the agency said.
Organisers of the dinner cruise told officials the captain told them the vessel could carry 200 passengers, it added.
The traditional wooden dhow was carrying 130 passengers, of whom 72 survived.Among those killed of those who died was Irishman Derek Cunningham (52) and his wife Orathai
It had a capacity of about 100.
The dead included 22 Indians and 13 Britons. The remaining victims were from the Philippines, South Africa, Singapore, Thailand, Pakistan, Germany, Ireland and Sri Lanka.
The Bahraini vessel went down late on Thursday during a dinner sponsored by companies involved in a major construction project in Bahrain including South African construction firm Murray & Roberts.