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Costa Allegra, Concordia's Sister Ship, Adrift In Indian Ocean

After an engine room fire, the Costa Allegra is adrift in the Indian ocean. The Allegra is owned by Costa Crociere, the same company that owns the Costa Concordia, the cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Italy and killed 25 people and left seven missing.

The AP reports the Costa Allegra is adrift in the area of the Indian Ocean where Somali pirates have been active.

The Guardian reports:

"After the fire broke out in the electrical generator rooms in the aft of the ship, a distress signal was sent out, the general emergency alarm was sounded on board and passengers and crew were ordered to muster stations, the company said.

"'The shipboard fire-extinguishing system and procedures were promptly activated and the special fire-fighting squads intervened to extinguish the fire,' a statement said.

"Inspections on the state of the engine room are ongoing in order to restart the necessary equipment to reactivate the functionality of the ship."

Sky News reports that the Italian Coast Guard said that all 636 passengers were safe.

"The Seychelles is sending a motorboat, a plane and two tugboats to the scene," Sky News reports.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.