Evacuated cruise ship goes down in Aegean

A cruise ship evacuated after it hit a reef in the Aegean Sea sank Friday, and navy divers searched the wreck for a missing Frenchman and his daughter.

The 469-foot Greek-flagged Sea Diamond struck rocks Thursday in a sea-filled crater formed by a huge volcanic eruption 3,500 years ago off the island of Santorini. Nearly 1,600 people were retrieved from the listing ship in a three-hour rescue operation.

The missing passengers were identified as Jean-Christophe Allain, 45, and his 16-year-old daughter, Maud, from Doue-la-Fontaine in western France.

Tourism Minister Fani Palli-Petralia, who spoke with Allain’s wife, said the family’s cabin filled with water when the ship struck the reef.

“She was not sure whether her husband and daughter made it out because things happened so suddenly ... in a few seconds. Her other child was up on deck and was evacuated safely.”

The captain and five officers were summoned to appear at a public prosecutor’s office on the island of Naxos to make a formal declaration of their version of events, which is standard procedure in such incidents. No charges have been filed.

Passengers on the cruise were mostly American.