Cruise passengers confirmed dead in Tunis terror attack

Nine of the tourists killed in the attack in Tunis yesterday were on an excursion during a cruise on MSC Splendida.

Gunmen opened fire as the cruisers got off the coach to visit the Bardo Museum in the Tunisian capital.

In all, 17 tourists and two locals, one a policemen, were killed when gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs opened fire.

The tourists were from France, Italy, Spain, Japan, Colombia, Poland, and Australia.

More than 40 other people, including tourists and Tunisians, were injured. Two of the gunmen were shot dead by security forces.

A spokesman for MSC Cruises said the cruise line had immediately put a crisis plan into action, recalling all excursions that had gone out.

He said 27 of the 3,714 passengers on board Splendida had been affected in the tragic incident – nine were killed, 12 injured and six remain unaccounted for.

“Yesterday in Tunis was complete chaos, the city was gridlocked and people were struggling to get back to the port,” he said.

He said the ship’s scheduled afternoon departure had been delayed until 6am local time to give guests the chance to get back to the ship, which is now sailing on to Barcelona.

Security on board the ship was immediately raised to Level 3, its highest and a crisis team arrived in port. Members of the crisis team have stayed in Tunis to assist and support those affected and to try to locate the missing passengers.

To allow guests to contact their families and reassure loved ones at home, the cruise line said ‘all onboard telephony and Internet was made available’.

MSC has cancelled all calls at Tunis port until the end of the summer.

Splendida’s Tunis stop has been replaced with Malta, MSC Fantasia will instead visit Palma and MSC Preziosa will call at Cagliari.

Costa, whose ship Costa Fascinosa was also in the city, said 13 passengers had not returned from their excursions when the ship left Tunis port at 1.55am.

It said a 12-strong ‘Costa Care Team’ and two Costa headquarters directors are in Tunis to liaise with the local authorities. Three more Care Team members are on their way.

“The company is in close contact with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, local security authorities, the captain of Costa Fascinosa and our local port agent for a continuous assessment of the situation on site and its evolution,” it said.

“Costa Crociere expresses its sympathy to all the people and their families involved in this tragic event.”

Tunisia’s president Beji Caid Essebsi said on national television the country was ‘in a war with terror’.

“These monstrous minorities do not frighten us. We will resist them until the deepest end without mercy,” he said.

At the time of the shooting at the museum, ministers in the next door parliament building were discussing anti-terror legislation.

The museum is renowned for its collection of antiques and is a major tourist attraction in Tunisia.