A Greek passenger ship with 252 Israel-bound American tourists aboard was disabled in Beirut harbor by a bomb explosion last night. The passengers, Baptists and Methodists on a Holy Land tour, were safely evacuated from the partially sinking vessel. El Al announced that it would operate four special flights this evening to bring the passengers from Cyprus, where they have been taken, to Israel.
It was learned that the bomb, apparently concealed aboard the ship by Arab terrorists, exploded at about 11 p.m. last night tearing a hole in the ship’s hull. The vessel started to sink but managed to tie up to a quay. It was assumed here that the terrorists had intended the bomb to explode while the ship was in Haifa but it detonated prematurely.
The ship, the Sonion, is a regular caller at Israel, arriving at Haifa weekly following a call at Beirut. She is under charter to Wholesale Tours International of Florida which arranges pilgrimages to the Holy Land for American church groups. The pilgrims are flown to Cyprus where the Sonion picks them up for cruises to Turkish, Lebanese and Israeli ports. The vessel usually serves as their hotel while they take tours ashore.
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