Thames Boat Toll Likely to Top 60 : New Safety Measures Ordered as Hunt for Bodies Goes On

The final death toll in the weekend party boat disaster on the Thames is expected to reach more than 60, Scotland Yard said late Monday.

The revised estimate came as 25 police launches continued the search for bodies and wreckage and as Secretary of Transport Cecil Parkinson ordered a series of emergency measures intended to increase safety on the heavily used waterway through central London.

Three separate investigations are under way to determine the cause of the incident, in which the 1,500-ton dredging ship Bowbelle ran over the Thames party boat Marchioness, which was crowded with disco-dancing young people celebrating the birthday of a wealthy Portuguese friend.

A police spokesman said Monday that 25 bodies had been found, fewer than earlier reports had indicated.

“We have 38 other names of people whom we have strong reason to believe were on the boat and who are yet to be accounted for,” the spokesman said. “It is reasonable that at least the great majority of these (can be presumed dead).”

The missing include the captain of the Marchioness, guest of honor Antonio Vascancellas, whose 26th birthday had been the occasion for the party, and five employees of a London modeling agency.

Earlier there had been reports of up to 29 confirmed dead. The police spokesman said that “this always happens in a case like this” and added that it results from “double counting” and other confusion in the immediate wake of the tragedy.

The police released the captain and first mate of the dredging ship Sunday night but said they would be questioning them again in connection with “what could be a serious criminal matter.”

No Blatant Violations

There was widespread speculation that some sort of navigational mix-up had caused the accident, but London Port Authority officials said there had been no blatant violation of the rules by either craft.

The Bowbelle reportedly ran into the stern of the 90-ton party boat about 1:45 a.m. Sunday as the two vessels moved under the Southwark Bridge, heading downstream toward the Tower of London. The impact spun the Marchioness sharply around, across the Bowbelle’s path. The Bowbelle then hit the pleasure boat again, in the side, rolling it over and forcing it beneath the larger ship.

Most of the bodies that have been recovered were trapped inside the Marchioness, which was on the bottom within seconds of the collision. Most of the survivors had apparently been enjoying the clear, warm summer night on deck at the time of the collision and were able to jump free.

Complicating the casualty count was the fact that no passenger list was kept for the party cruise, and there were conflicting reports about how many had been on board. The Marchioness is certified to carry a maximum of 149 passengers and a crew of two.

Secretary Parkinson, who cut short a vacation in the United States because of the accident, ordered a series of preliminary measures Monday to ensure that such confusion is not repeated.

Effective today, charter vessel operators will be required to leave on shore a record of how many passengers embark on each cruise. In addition, they will be required to give passengers information about steps to be taken in an emergency.

Parkinson also ordered more frequent river patrols by the Port of London Authority and “frequent random inspections” of Thames pleasure boats between their required annual certifications.

“An investigation by the (Transport) Department’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch is already under way,” Parkinson said. “If, in the course of that investigation, it emerges that further measures to improve river safety should be taken, I shall not hesitate to put them into effect.”

There has been a sharp increase in recent years in the number of chartered party and tourist boats plying the Thames, according to a spokesman for the Port Authority, which is also investigating the incident. But neither the port spokesman nor the Transport Department spokesman could say immediately how many such craft are licensed to operate.

These vessels share the river through central London with about 32,000 commercial vessels a year.

Dispute on Radio

The daily Independent reported Monday that the captains of the Bowbelle and the Marchioness had had a disagreement over short-wave radio moments before the accident over which should pass first through the central span of the Southwark Bridge. Later, Port Authority officials said that both were within their rights in using the middle of the river, known as the “fairway.”

A tape recording of all radio messages between the two craft is in the hands of police investigators.

While the search for bodies and clues went on, relatives of some of the dead and missing went to the spot where the Marchioness went down and scattered a floral tribute over the murky waters.

The close-knit fraternity of Thames watermen halted virtually all tourist services on the river as a mark of respect for the victims.