Wreck from deadly 1983 ferry sinking found off Evia
An expert wreck researcher has located the remains of a ferry boat that went down off the southeastern coast of Evia on the afternoon of February 23, 1983, killing 28 passengers and crew, the Athens-Macedonian News Agency reported on Wednesday.
Kostas Thoktaridis and his team located the bulk of the “Chrysi Avgi” (Golden Dawn) at a depth of 110 meters just outside the Cape of Kafireas (or Cavo d’Oro), an area that is notorious for its treacherous currents and deep underwater cliffs.
“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 AMNA.
Operated by Epirus Lines, the Chrysi Avgi was carrying 21 crew, 16 truck drivers and five passengers, as well as a cargo of 298 tons of fuel, when it ran into foul weather en route from the capital’s port of Rafina to the island of Andros.
According to reports, strong winds and waves caused the ship to tilt dangerously, forcing the captain to change course and head to the port of Karystos to wait out the storm. He issued an SOS signal shortly after, which was followed 15 minutes later by a large explosion, possibly from a fuel leak in the garage. A fire and a second powerful blast blew out a part of the hull, sending the ship down.
Of the 42 people on board, only 14 were rescued, 12 of them by the Russian Yakov Gakkel, which was conducting an oceanographic survey in the area at the time.
