Nicosia - The cruise liner Romantica, ablaze off Cyprus, was being towed to the Cypriot port of Limassol yesterday. The ship was evacuated early on Saturday because of the fire. Eyewitnesses said the listing vessel was engulfed in thick clouds of grey smoke in the early afternoon, with flames, occasionally seen on the deck of the ship.
The liner, with 673 passengers and 186 crew, had been on its way to Limassol after a trip to Egypt when it caught fire. Another cruise liner, Princess Victoria, picked up people from lifeboats and others were winched to safety by British air force helicopters stationed on Cyprus.