ABU DHABI, Oct. 19, Reuter: Five more crew members of the Panama flag tanker five books, attacked by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, were found burned to death in the ship today, shipping sources said.
This brought the confirmed death toll to 10. Five charred bodies were found by firefighters in a crew cabin yesterday.
The death toll was the worst aboard a civilian ship caught up in the gulf war since 16 died in the tanker Azarpad, which was destroyed in an Iraqi air raid on Iran’s Sir Island oil terminal last August 12.
The five brooks victims were all from Pakistan or the Maldives Islands, the sources said, Their deaths raised known “tanker war” deaths to more than 50 this year,
The sources said all 39 members of the crew of the five brooks, managed by a Hong Kong company, Gul feast Ship Management, ‘were now accounted for.
They said 21 survivors were in Sharjah, in the United Arab emirates, and eight including the captain were still aboard the crippled 12,804 tons (19,925 dwt) tanker, which was being towed to the Omani Port of Khor Fakkan,
Survivor Waseem Muneer told reporters by telephone from a hotel in Sharjah yesterday that the Five Brooks’ crew quarters erupt ed.in lame after the ship was hit by shells or inissiles fired by an Iranian gunboat.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 24, 1986
