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COPYRIGHT 2003 South Florida Sun-Sentinal
Byline: Jamie Malernee, Christiana Sciaudone and Peter Bernard
MIAMI _ An explosion in the boiler room of a cruise ship killed at least four people and injured least 19 others in the Port of Miami on Sunday, just 10 days after the ship passed a federal inspection.
Initially reported as a fire, the explosion aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines' SS Norway was the result of a huge build-up of scalding steam that, when released, thundered through the ship that had docked less than two hours before.
Some passengers reported being awakened when their beds shook. Pat Ehrengruber, 58, was out on the deck at 6:30 a.m. watching the lights of Miami when the blast occurred.
"There was black smoke, and then it just boomed and billowed. You could smell the diesel fuel," said Ehrengruber, of Port Orange near Daytona Beach.
Those dead and seriously injured were all crewmembers. As of late Sunday, five people who received extensive burns remained in critical condition and eight were stable at Jackson Memorial Hospital, a hospital official said. Names of the dead and injured were not released.
Although the investigation into the explosion is just beginning, officials deemed the incident an accident, not terrorism. "All indications are that it was a terrible accident on board an old vessel," said acting Miami-Dade Fire Chief Antonio Baredhe.
The SS Norway made its first Atlantic crossing in 1962 and is touted by Norwegian Cruise Lines as the world's longest cruise ship, carrying a crew of 911 and...
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