CAIRO, Feb. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Bodies and lifeboats were spotted by an Egyptian helicopter near the place where an Egyptian ferry with 1,300 people aboard was last seen on the radar screen, Egyptian maritime officials in Suez said Friday.

Policemen await orders in local police station in Port Safaga in Egypt waiting for the dead and survivors from ferry Al Salam 98.

    The bodies were seen in the waters off the Egyptian coastal port city of Safaja, some 600 kilometers (370 miles) southeast of Cairo.

    According to the officials, the Safaga-bound ship "Salaam 98"with 1,300 passengers, 22 cars, 16 trucks aboard disappeared from the radar screens in the Red Sea off the Saudi coast shortly afterit set off from Saudi port of Dhaba at 7 p.m. local time (17:00GMT) on Thursday night.

    The ship was due to have arrived at 3 a.m. (1:00 GMT), but did not, the officials said.

    Saudi and Egyptian naval vessels and helicopters are conducting a search for the ship.

    Television footage showed scenes of rough sea and officials said bad weather was apparently hampering rescue efforts.There is no immediate word on the cause of the accident, but it is speculated that the cruiser might have run a ground or damaged in a collision.

    The ship is owned by the Egyptian company El-Salaam Maritime Transport Co. and most of the passengers on board are believed to be Egyptian pilgrims returning from the Saudi holy city of Mecca.

    It is the second time a cruiser owned by the company has suffered a major accident in less than four months.

    Al-Salaam 95, sister ship of "Salaam 98", carrying about 1,250 Muslim pilgrims back from Saudi Arabia, collided with a Cypriot commercial vessel in the Gulf of Suez on Oct. 17, 2005, killing at least three and injuring dozens of others. Enditem