The presidential spokesman said that the owners of the Red Sea ferry that sank, drowning about 1,000 people, did not inform the government that the ship had sunk for nearly six hours after it went down.
Suleiman Awad emerged from a Cabinet session chaired by President Hosni Mubarak to say the government first heard that the ship was in danger at 7 am and that it was feared to have sunk at 7.45 am on Friday.
By most accounts the Al-Salaam Boccaccio 98 sank no later than 2 am, five hours before the government was notified of any trouble, six hours before Cairo learned it likely had sunk.
"What really happened," Awad said on Tuesday, "was that the port authority was first informed at 7 am by the ship's owners that they had lost contact with the ferry. Forty-five minutes later, the company told port officials the ship may have sunk," Awad said.
"One minute later the rescue centre was notified and by 8 am a plane was over the spot where the ship went down. ... It was followed by another rescue plane and ships of the Egyptian fleet," he said.
"Those who are responsible will not escape without punishment," Awad quoted Mubarak as saying. "There is no one in Egypt who is above law or questioning."
{{/usCountry}}"Those who are responsible will not escape without punishment," Awad quoted Mubarak as saying. "There is no one in Egypt who is above law or questioning."
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