Chilean Naval officials confirmed that they rescued all 122 people on a sinking Antarctic cruise ship. The Panamanian-flagged ship ran aground yesterday on a portion of the Antarctic Peninsula off the Chilean coast.Argentine authorities claimed that none of the 89 passengers and 33 Argentine crew members was hurt.
The incident with the Ushuaia was the second accident of a cruise ship in the Antarctic over the past thirteen months. A November 2007 accident led to calls for restricting tourism near the Antarctic:
Argentinean Environment Secretary Romina Picolotti…told Argentinean news agency Telam, "The purpose of the Antarctic is not tourism. Nations must make a greater effort to impose stricter controls." She pushed for reducing the number of ice tourists which had doubled over the recent years…Image- BBC News
In 1990, less than 5,000 tourists came to the region. By 2003, their number have risen to more than 24,000 and this summer it is expected to climb further to 30,000. The visitors are not just gawkers or regular tourists who merely want souvenir shots with the penguins. Activities there include parachuting, skiing, motorbiking and flying a helicopter across the continent.
Sources- The Latin Americanist, Canada.com, AP, Al Jazeera English, AHN
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