147 Believed Dead In Ship

Press, Volume C, Issue 29563, 12 July 1961, Page 15

147 Believed Dead In Ship

(NXJ’.A.-Reuter—Copyrtpht) BEIRA (Mozambique), July 11. The Portuguese vessel Save (2037 tons) was still on fire four days after she was shattered by explosions and ran aground north of Beira.

Latest official reports estimate that a total of 147 people are missing and presumed dead.

The Portuguese Maritime Ministry said that of the 480 people on board, 299 passengers and 34 of the crew of 54 were rescued.

The second engineer (Mr I. Baladas), who arrived In the port of Lourenco Marques by air, said yesterday that when the order to abandon ship was given, several people jumped into the sea. trying to reach tugs and small boats nearby. Some passengers, screaming in terror, ran through the flames and leaped into the water.

Most of the passengers were African passengers and troops. Children In Boat

A correspondent of the “Rand Daily Mail" of Johannesburg, who flew to the scene, said three children came ashore in a lifeboat.

African survivors plunged into the surf along the beach and pulled out dead bodies. A private aircraft which landed on the beach in low water broke a propeller in the sand and is now lying on the beach. The Associated Press reported from Johannesburg that at least two heroes were among the dead in the wreck of the Save.

The ship's radio officer. Felipe Santao, of Lisbon, quoted by the “Johannesburg Star,” had described <iw.rf Officer Coelho as a brave man whose cold courage went beyond imagination. Coelho and an electrician, Joao Jesus, coolly went below to try to put out the flames after the ship—whose cargo included dynamite and several tons of matches—had become an inferno.

Santao said they knew the odds were 100-1 against their getting out

"They never faltered," he said. "We never saw them again.” Distress Mesaages

Santao himself played an heroic role by sending out distress messages for 25 hours with flames round him most of the time.

The newspaper quoted surviving officers as saying the fire apparently started when seas poured through a hole in the vessel’s side and caused an electrical short circuit.

By last night the tragedy was almost over. The beaches were littered with corpses, washed up boats’ life-belts and debris. A tractor with a trailer attached was collecting the corpses. The remaining survivors were huddled together on the beaches awaiting rescue.