You be the judge.

CAIRO (Reuters) - The captain of a ship who heard calls for help after
an Egyptian ferry sank in the Red Sea last week said he did not respond
because he feared his own passenger ship could sink if he turned back
in bad weather.

The Al Salam 98 ferry sank on Friday leaving more than 1,000 people
dead or missing. Officials have been investigating reports that the
Saint Catherine, a ferry owned by the same company, failed to respond
to calls for assistance.

"I took the decision not to return to protect 1,800 passengers who were
with me on the Saint Catherine for fear of capsizing the ferry while
turning," Captain Salah Gomaa told the state-owned daily al-Ahram in
remarks published on Tuesday.

He said bad weather, including high waves and fast winds, prompted him
not to respond to the call for assistance from Al Salam 98's second
officer, who informed him from a life boat that the ship had sunk.

"It is possible there could have been two disasters and the Saint
Catherine would also have been capsized," he said, adding that he sent
out a call for help to other ships in the area.

The 35-year-old Al Salam 98 was carrying 1,414 people, but only 388
people were rescued. Families of the victims criticized the government
for not responding more quickly to the sinking ship and blamed the
ferry company for operating an old vessel.

The government had said 244 bodies were recovered by Monday evening.
Cabinet spokesman Magdy Rady said a further 85 to 87 bodies were found
on Tuesday, indicating the total number of corpses found was now at
least 329 with almost 700 missing.

Both the Saint Catherine and the Al Salam 98 are owned by the Egyptian
company El Salam Maritime Transport Co.

On Tuesday, the Saudi authorities refused to allow passengers to board
another Egyptian ferry, Al Salam 94, as the vessel was deemed unsafe.
An Egyptian port official said the Al Salam 94 was owned by the same
shipping firm.

Company officials could not be reached for comment.