Tourist hotspot given urgent warning over ‘ticking time bomb’ shipwreck near coast
A popular tourist hotspot is under threat from a ‘ticking time bomb’ shipwreck near the coast.
The holiday destination - usually crawling with boozy Brits - is potentially at risk after locals have issued their concerns with an abandoned ship that's been on the sea floor for 16 years.
Weighing in at 22,000-tons, the 469ft-long ship was built in 1984 by Valmet, Finland for Birka Line as Birka Princess.
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Unfortunately though, the cruise - named as MS Sea Diamond - sank to the seafloor the day after it set off from the Greek island of Santorini on 5 April 2007.
Although most of the 1,195 passengers were safely evacuated, two passengers were presumed dead after their bodies were never found.
The victims were two French citizens, named Jean Christophe Allain, 45, and his daughter Maud, 16.
Ever since, the ship remained underwater and environmentalists and residents are concerned with the possibility of a 'incalculable ecological disaster' occurring.
Locals have also been worried with the pollution coming from the ship’s fuel tanks.
They issued their concern to the Greek Parliament’s Special Standing Committee for Environmental Protection this week in a letter, calling for the ship to be removed from the seabed.
"The shipwreck remains on the seabed and continues to pollute, at a slow but steady rate, it erodes daily and at any time it can cause an incalculable ecological disaster," the letter read.
Some experts have predicted that it could at least take at least 400 years for these pollutants to decompose.
Loucas Lignos, head of the campaign group The Coordinating Committee of Thira Citizens for the Lifting of the Sea Diamond, told The Sun: "The shipwreck is located exactly in the caldera of Santorini, around 800m from the port.
"It is sunk about 100m underwater.
"It has 300 tonnes of fuel oils and other toxic chemicals, machine oils, in the generators, wires that are filled with copper, other materials from PBC and plastic that will slowly be diluted into the water over time.
"All these carcinogenic substances are dangerous for humans. At the same time, desalination procedures cannot filter through the dangerous heavy metals.
"The main problem is that these chemicals can enter the human body through bioaccumulation- either via desalination of the water or by fish consumption.
"If that happens it will be a huge environmental disaster for the Santorini beaches."
Topics: Environment, Travel, World News
Anish Vij