Brother and Sister Affected by Separate Costa Cruise Incidents

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Jayne Thomas never expected to be in this situation again. Six short weeks after her son, James, was rescued from the capsized Costa Concordia, her daughter Rebecca is on board sister ship Costa Allegra, which is currently adrift in the Indian Ocean.

“It’s unbelievable that it could happen again,” she told the Telegraph.

Rebecca, working onboard as a dancer, is among the 413 crewmembers and 636 passengers stranded on the disabled vessel, expected to reach land in the Seychelles on Thursday. Original plans to tow the ship to the smaller island of Desroches were scrapped after learning the island could not handle such a large ship, the BBC reports. Once the Allegra reaches land, Costa Cruises has arranged flights to carry passengers from the islands to Rome.

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Thomas has not heard from her daughter since receiving an email Monday about the engine room fire that crippled the ship. The vessel is currently without air-conditioning and cooking facilities; food and water are being delivered by helicopter. Video of the Allegra shows those onboard crowding the decks in search of cool breezes.

Lack of food, water and electricity is not the only threat. The region where the ship is adrift, off the coast of Tanzania, is known for pirate activity. An attack is unlikely, as pirates have never successfully taken a cruise ship. Giorgio Moretti, the director of nautical operations for Costa Crociere SpA (parent company of Costa Cruises), told reporters nine armed security guards are onboard and there are planes keeping an eye from above.

ZIL AIR / REUTERS

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Officials from the cruise line have arrived in Seychelles and issued a statement Tuesday apologizing for any inconvenience and promising that their “absolute priority is to make it as short as possible.”

Thomas’ son has no intention of returning to work for the cruise line, but her daughter was planning to sign another 15-month contract in September. Thomas says she is unsure if Rebecca will go through with those plans.