Passengers Evacuate Damaged Saint Laurent in Baskets
by THERESA NORTON MASEK of travelpulse.com
Passengers and their baggage were being evacuated in baskets attached to cranes Friday afternoon from the damaged Saint Laurent cruise ship, which struck a wall in a lock on the Saint Lawrence Seaway in New York.
The passengers will be bused to Montreal, according to an update from the U.S. Coast Guard District 9 unit in Cleveland. Personnel from the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. were in the baskets to help passengers through the slow and harrowing process. The Coast Guard said the evacuation might take up to six hours.
U. S. Customs and Border Protection officers were on the vessel to clear passengers before they disembarked.
Some confusion remained on how many people were injured in the accident, which occurred at about 9:15 p.m. June 18. The Coast Guard said 30 people were removed from the ship due to injuries, and 28 returned the next morning. However, the ship’s management company, FleetPro, said 19 guests and three crew members suffered minor injuries.
