Dani

bus carrying tourists from a cruise ship plunged into a ravine Wednesday in the highlands of northern Chile and officials said 11 people were killed, most believed to be U.S. citizens

The tour was not a Celebrity sponsored tour.

Millennium cruise ship for a visit to a national park outside of Arica, a city 1,250 miles north of Santiago, near the border with Peru and Bolivia

Dani

http://www.viator.com/tours/Arica/34...-Chungara-Lake

link to tour company

joespit

Our prayers go out to the families of the passengers killed in the accident.

Dani

It is too early to tell what caused the accident but I did wonder about the
speed of bus.

As it was not a ship tour, the ship would not hold for them.

I wonder how close to the ships departure that the accident occurred ?

If the time was short, could the bus have been going faster to get there ?

Just a thought.

I know from driving in some of the mountainous areas it can be very easier to go over the edge if speed is involved.

Synchro

I went to The Millies internet cafe cam prior to hearing the tragic news.... I had never seen so many people in the cafe. They were lined up waiting to grab a puter. Never that crowded with many people gazing out the windows to the docks just before their scheduled 7:00 PM departure.

Then I read the news on MSNBC and it all started making sense. Terrible !

The excursion was not sponsored by Celebrity but that doesn't really matter - I almost drowned at Puerto Vallarta on a Princess excursion.

Dani

The internet cafe and classroom on the Millie are packed with people trying to get in touch with their relatives.

Cruise Critics evidently have around 20 or more couples on board.

The schedule shows the ship was to leave at 7 p.m. The accident was 4:30 but do not know if that was the time there or here ?

Very, very sad.

jeff

Update: Bus Accident in Chile
MIAMI, March 22, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Celebrity Cruises is working in close coordination with Chilean and U.S. authorities to provide assistance in the aftermath of today's tragic bus accident involving guests sailing onboard Millennium.
"On behalf of everyone at Celebrity Cruises, I would like to express our deepest sympathies to our guests and their families regarding the deaths and injuries that occurred today," said Dan Hanrahan, president of Celebrity Cruises. "We continue to make every effort to provide comfort and assistance to our guests and their families who have been affected by this tragic accident."


Preliminary information indicates that 11 guests were killed and three injured in the accident that occurred near Arica, Chile. The guests were on an independent private tour, not affiliated with the cruise line. The accident occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m. local time. The injured have been taken to a local hospital. A doctor and nurse from Millennium have been sent to the hospital to assist the injured and local medical authorities.


Millennium departed Valparaiso, Chile, on March 19, on a 14-night sailing that is scheduled to conclude in Fort Lauderdale on April 2. Today's accident occurred on the fourth day of the cruise and the ship will remain in Arica, Chile, until further notice. The ship was carrying approximately 1,536 guests and 920 crew members.

Celebrity Cruises has established two toll-free phone lines for family members of guests sailing on this cruise. Callers in North America should dial 1-888-829-4050. Callers from outside North America should dial the following number collect 305-539-4050. These numbers are for family members only, and the company requests that the general public not use these numbers so family members of those onboard the ship may receive information in a timely manner.

Celebrity Cruises Vice President for Marine Operations John Krousouloudis is leading a special assistance team from the company that is being dispatched to the ship to help its guests and crew.

Celebrity Cruises reported the incident to the U.S. Consulate, U.S. Coast Guard, and Bahamian authorities. The company is working in close coordination with those organizations and Chilean authorities to assist the injured and those onboard the ship. The cause of the accident has not been determined, and Celebrity Cruises will be actively involved in the investigation.


Celebrity Cruises will provide additional information regarding this matter as it becomes available. Information will also be posted on the Celebrity Cruises web site at http://www.celebrity.com.
SOURCE Celebrity Cruises

Dani

Bus Crash Kills 12 American Tourists
Mar 22, 9:34 PM (ET)

By EDUARDO GALLARDO

(AP) Chilean police officers inspect a bus crashed in the highlands of northern Chile near Arica 2,000...
Full Image

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - A bus carrying cruise ship tourists plunged 300 feet down a mountainside in northern Chile Wednesday, killing 12 Americans, U.S. and Chilean officials said.

Two other U.S. tourists and two Chileans - the driver and the tour guide - were hospitalized in serious condition following the crash along a rugged highway near the Pacific port city of Arica, 1,250 miles north of Santiago, said Juan Carlos Poli, an Arica city hall spokesman.

"We have confirmed that all the victims were American citizens," Poli told the Associated Press by telephone from the hospital.

The tourists were returning to Celebrity Cruises' ship Millennium, docked in Arica, from an excursion to nearby Lauca National Park.

The driver reported that he lost control of the bus while swerving to avoid a truck approaching on a collision course, Poli said. The bus went off the narrow highway and tumbled down a steep mountainside.

He said the bus, which had a capacity of 16 passengers, "was totally destroyed."

The accident occurred 25 miles northeast of Arica on the road leading deep into the high Andes Mountains, connecting the coast with the Bolivian capital of La Paz.

U.S. Embassy spokesman John Vance, who also confirmed the 12 U.S. deaths, said the embassy was sending consular officers to Arica.

The ship was scheduled to leave for Peru early Thursday, but the departure was postponed in the wake of the accident, police said. He said it isn't clear when it will leave.

A statement by Celebrity Cruises said the tourists were sailing aboard Celebrity Cruises' Millennium, but it was an independent private tour, not affiliated with the cruise line.

The ship was sailing a 14-night South American cruise that departed Valparaiso, Chile, on March 19 and was scheduled to conclude in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 2.
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Dani

One of the gentlemen killed on the crash today was leading a group of 60 people on this trip.

They were all from a retirement village in N.J. He and his wife were among the dead. Several of the other couples on board were in his group.

Their daughter-in-law has been posting on the Cruise Critic website.

cruisegirl