The remains of a ferry boat that sunk more than 40 years ago near the southern tip of Evia, have recently been discovered by an expert wreck researcher and his team.
According to Ekathimerini, Kostas Thoktaridis and his team located the bulk of the “Chrysi Avgi” (Golden Dawn) – a shipwreck that killed 28 passengers and crew just outside the Cape of Kafireas on February 23, 1983.
The area has a dark reputation for its treacherous currents, underwater cliffs and swirling whirlpools. A number of shipwrecks have occurred in the area since ancient times.
“The initial images of the wreck are quite awe-inspiring due to the fact that despite the fire and explosions only a part of the structure came away and the rest of the ship remains intact on the seabed,” Thoktaridis told Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA).
On February 23, 1983, a Japanese-built ferry operated by Epirus Lines, left Rafina heading toward the islands of Andros, Paros and Naxos, carrying nine heavy tankers with bunker fuel and four cargo trucks. A possible tanker leak in the garage led to a series of fires.
Out of 42 people aboard the ship, only 14 were saved. Twelve of them by the Russian Yakov Gakkel, which was conducting an oceanographic survey in the area at the time.
Source: Ekathimerini.
