CAIRO, Feb. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Preliminary investigation on Saturday blamed fire for the sinking of an Egyptian ferry carrying some 1,400 people in the Red Sea, the official MENA news agency reported.

   "Preliminary reports show a fire erupted in one of the trucks on board the ferry, which caused the ship to sink," said MENA.

Relatives of the passengers wait for messages at the entrance to a ferry company in Safaga. (Xinhua)

   Egyptian officials made the conclusion in the Red Sea port of Hurghada while briefing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the circumstances surrounding the Al Salam 98 ferry disaster.

   In an earlier report, MENA also blamed fire for the accident.

   "Fire erupting in the engine machinery and the garage was the primary cause of the accident," survivors were quoted as saying.

   Fire broke out two hours after the ship left Dubah Port in Saudi Arabia on its way to the Egyptian Red Sea port of Safaga, some 600 km southeast of the capital Cairo, said the survivors being treated in Hurghada general hospital.

   After three hours into the trip, the captain asked the passengers to leave their private cabins and go up on deck, before the ship listed and went down, they added.

Riot police stand guard outside the naval port at Safaga Feb. 3. (Reuters)

   Several survivors also complained that they could not use lifeboats available on the ship.

   Al Salaam 98, carrying some 1,400 people, 22 cars and 16 trucks, disappeared from the radar screen shortly after it left Dubah at 7:30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT) on Thursday.

   The ship should have arrived at its destination of Safaga at 2:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) on Friday.

   Officials said on Saturday that at least 448 survivors have been pulled out of the sea and rescuers also recovered 190 bodies. Enditem