Another ship's captain in hot - er - cold water:
'My wife was in the freezing water'
By Caroline Gammell in Longyearbyen on Svalbard
Last Updated: 1:36am BST 11/08/2007
Terrified British holidaymakers told of their miraculous escape yesterday after a 70ft wall of ice and water engulfed their cruise ship when a glacier collapsed only yards away.
The party of mostly retired sightseers feared for their lives as they clung desperately to railings while the vessel was overwhelmed by a wave that threatened to wash them overboard.
The dramatic incident left 17 people injured - four seriously - and led to severe criticism of the cruise company from passengers for taking the Russian ship Alexey Maryshev too close to the glacier.
One of the most seriously injured was a 29-year-old British man who was on his honeymoon.
The weary survivors arrived yesterday in Longyearbyen, on the Arctic Norwegian island of Spitesbergen, 300 miles north of mainland Norway.
Retired police officer Julian Benington, 66, from Orpington, spoke of the moment a wall of ice fell from the Hornsundbreen glacier on Svalbard as their craft was just 20 yards away.
"There was a huge crack and a large area of ice came down into the water," he said. "It didn't take a rocket scientist to work out that there would be a huge upsurge of water as the ice went in."
Mr Benington flung himself on the railings of the ship as it was consumed by the freezing water and grabbed hold of his wife to prevent her being washed overboard.
"I was there holding on for grim death. My wife, Valerie, came floating round on her back, she was in the water. I managed to grab her and haul her towards me." As he clung to his 64-year-old wife, Mr Benington stretched for another man in the water and fought desperately to hold on to them both as the ship tipped to one side. "I was holding on to the man with my wife in between. It was bitterly cold and I couldn't hold on any longer.
"He slid down to the other side of the boat and hit another woman who was lying against the railings. She probably saved him from going into the water.
"It was terrifying. I was frightened for everyone and my wife thought she was going to die."
Mr Benington, a father of three, said the ship was no more than 60 feet away from the glacier when disaster struck: "I certainly do not think we should have been that close. By the time we were there, it was too late.
"You are leaving yourself in the hands of the professionals." The £3,000, 10-day trip was operated by the Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions but chartered by the British tour operator Discover the World. Last night Discover the World blamed the ship's captain, whom it accused of behaving irresponsibly and who had now been barred from future voyages.
In a statement, Discover the World said: "We are convinced that the accident was caused due to the negligence of the captain, who was acting irresponsibly. We are at the moment considering what action to take. Our absolute priority continues to be the welfare of our clients and their families."
The travel firm said it was waiting for a detailed report from the ship operators and Svalbard authorities, which would be handed over after the ship's captain and expedition team had been interviewed by the governor of Svalbard, who is also the local police chief.
The ship docked safely in Longyearbyen, on Svalbard, on Thursday. Those not needing hospital treatment had decided to stay in the Arctic Circle until their holiday was supposed to end this weekend.
Seven people remained in hospital. Two were being treated for minor injuries in Longyearbyen and the other five were in Tromso, on the Norwegian mainland.
Another passenger angered by the ship's proximity to the glacier was Frank Keighley, 72, from Cheltenham, whose 70-year-old wife Margaret suffered a serious gash to her right leg.
Speaking as he rushed to see his wife in hospital in Longyearbyen, the retired agricultural consultant said: "In my view, it was totally reckless and irresponsible to be so close.
"The glacier was on top of us. It was actually very frightening to see it that close.
"I heard the glacier creaking and groaning and then this wall of ice came on top of the ship. I was covered in freezing cold water and ice and I was soaking wet.
"There was a shower of chunks of ice. I thought I was a goner. I thought I was going to die. People were screaming and I found Margaret in a pool of blood."
Svalbard police yesterday continued questioning the Russian captain of the ship, who has already admitted going too close to the glacier, but a spokesman said there were no plans to arrest anyone at this stage.
Dr Erling Siggurud, an Arctic Circle specialist who has worked in the region for 27 years, was highly critical of the decision to take the Alexey Maryshev so close to the glacier.
"Whatever you do, you do not take a vessel all the way up to a glacier front when it is calving [losing ice]. There is only one word for that - stupid. Some of those blocks of ice falling from the glacier are several metres wide, weigh several tons and would crush you like a fly."
He said it was a matter of luck that passengers had not been thrown overboard and if they had they would have perished within 15 minutes. He added: "It would have been like sailing into a death trap."
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