Costa Allegra passengers tell of panic as they prepared to abandon ship

Cruise liner was adrift after a fire broke out in the engine room in pirate waters before being towed to the Seychelles.

A passenger is helped to board a ferry for other islands after the Costa Allegra was towed into a harbour in the Seychelles yesterday.

VICTORIA, SEYCHELLES // Passengers disembarking from a disabled cruise ship yesterday in the Seychelles said they had prepared to abandon ship when fire broke out in the engine room, causing smoke to billow from the vessel that was adrift in waters prowled by pirates.

Life boats were lowered, passengers said. Thomas Foaller of Austria said some passengers began to panic. Couples that were separated were calling out to each other, he said.

Among them were an American couple Gordon and Eleanor Bradwell of Georgia. They were separated when Mrs Bradwell went to the couple's room to get a life vest. A crew member had handed the 72-year-old Mr Bradwell his own as dark smoke rose from the ship.

"Those were the worst moments," Mr Bradwell said.

But the fire that broke out Monday was brought under control and the more than 1,000 passengers and crew wound up staying aboard the Costa Allegra, which suddenly had no engine power, no air conditioning and no running water for showers or toilets.

Mrs Bradwell said that the initial response to the alarm seemed to be disorganised but overall she and her husband felt the shipping line had handled the emergency well.

"It could have been worse than it was," Mr Bradwell said. "It could have been disastrous ... we're here, we're alive."

The fire came only six weeks after the Costa Concordia, owned by the same company, hit a reef and capsized off Italy, killing 25 people and leaving seven missing and presumed dead.

The crew of the Costa Allegra formed up and clapped as passengers disembarked and were taken to buses for onward travel.

A dozen crew members lined up at two pay phones to call their families.

The Seychelles Red Cross set up tents to assist any passengers needing medical help and embassy and consular officials were at the port to receive their citizens.

Tour operators lined up dozens of buses to take passengers to either the airport or a Seychelles resort.

"The focus of the operation is to get them a warm meal and a shower," said Guillaume Albert, head of Creole Travel Service. "I think the happy ending is the people coming off the boat."

The average age of passengers on-board the ship was 55 years, he said.

A Seychelles official suggested on Wednesday that the journey may also have taken longer because the French fishing vessel towing the cruise ship had refused to give way to two faster tugs sent by the Seychelles. Although assistance to people at sea is free, assistance to ships is often paid.

The Allegra left northern Madagascar on Saturday. The liner was carrying 413 crew members and 627 passengers, including 212 Italians, 31 Britons and eight Americans.

About 375 people were taking advantage of the company's offer of a free 15-day holiday in the Seychelles, including the Bradwells. They will also be reimbursed for the $8,000 they spent on the cruise.

As passengers continued to disembark, Mr Bradwell used a reporter's phone to call his daughter in the US.

"Karen, can you hear me?" he asked. "We wanted to let you know that everything is OK."