Bahrain vessel’s turn ‘was too tight’

A prosecutor probing Bahrain boat disaster said tonight that survivors had told the investigation that the captain made a turn that was “too tight”.

Bahrain chief prosecutor Osama Al-Ofee also said a special committee of five experts would now establish what went wrong.

Mr Al-Ofee said survivors had voiced their wish to sue those responsible. They were interviewed after the incident, along with officials from the coastguard and government ministries, as part of the investigation.

In a statement translated from Arabic, Mr Al-Ofee said: “Many of the victims who were on the boat mention, all of them, that the ship was not stable before they left the harbour.

“When they moved it was shaking and the turn from the captain to the left was, they said, too tight. That’s why all the passengers and staff moved to the side.

“Some of them said they will sue those in charge in a civilian case.”

Referring to the committee of experts, Mr Al-Ofee said: “They will see the ship and interview people and look at the weight, the capacity and they will say why it sank.”

The captain of the boat was detained on Friday and prosecutors can hold him in custody for a total of seven days.

After that his case goes before a judge who has the power to extend the custody for up to 45 days, he added.

A prosecution spokesman said that passengers could sue together in a case that would be heard alongside criminal proceedings in the same court.

The development comes after it emerged last night that the capsized Arab dhow only had a permit for use as a floating restaurant, but not to go on passenger cruises.