Disabled Cruise Ship Setback: Tow Line Snaps

A week-long holiday nightmare at sea suffers another setback as a tow line pulling the wayward vessel back to port snaps.

The crippled cruise ship slowly making its way back to land suffered another setback when a tow line snapped, briefly setting the vessel adrift once again.

Passengers on board the Carnival Triumph have described overflowing toilets, sewage backed up in showers, scarce food and people getting sick, bringing the scene into sharper focus after a week at sea.

What began as a four-day voyage in the Gulf of Mexico has turned into a holiday nightmare.

Passengers were expected to make it to shore Thursday - only to then face an hours-long bus ride or other travel hassles to finally get back home.

Frustrations with the cruise line were simmering on and off the ship, as passengers and their relatives questioned why it has taken so long to get back to dry land after an engine-room fire disabled the ship on Sunday.

The ship is not expected to make port until late Thursday

“There’s poop and urine all along the floor,” Renee Shanar, of Houston, said from her mobile phone aboard the ship. “The floor is flooded with sewer water … and we had to poop in bags.”

The ship was in sight of the Alabama shore on Thursday afternoon when the tow line broke. Coast Guard crews managed to reconnect the line, but it was still expected to take several hours before the ship makes port in Mobile.

The 14-storey ship – carrying more than 4,200 passengers and crew – still has to negotiate a tricky shipping channel before it can  dock. Before the line broke, the ship was travelling about 5 mph (8kph).

Ms Shanar, who is on the ship with her husband, said the couple had a cabin with no windows, so they have been sleeping outside for days. She said food has been distributed on the ninth floor, and some of the elderly have needed younger people to bring it to them.

Relatives of passengers have tried to maintain contact via mobile phone

They were initially only given cold cuts, like turkey and vegetable sandwiches. Then another cruise line dropped off hamburgers and chicken sandwiches, but the line for that fare was nearly four hours long.

“And then people started getting sick from the food,” she said.

The company has disputed the accounts of passengers who describe the ship as filthy, saying employees are doing everything to ensure people are comfortable.

Terry Thornton, senior vice president for Carnival Cruise Lines, said they received an extra generator that allowed them to serve hot food on the ship Wednesday night, and that food services will be fully operational by the time they dock.

When passengers arrive in Alabama, they will be given the option of boarding buses directly to Galveston, Texas, or Houston – a roughly seven-hour drive – or taking a two-hour bus ride to New Orleans, where the company said it booked 1,500 hotel rooms.

Carnival senior vice president Terry Thornton talks to reporters in Mobile

Those staying in New Orleans will be flown on Friday to Houston. Carnival said it will cover all the transportation costs.

“I can’t imagine being on that ship this morning and then getting on a bus,” said Kirk Hill, whose 30-year-old daughter, Kalin Christine Hill, is on the cruise. “If I hit land in Mobile, you’d have a hard time getting me on a bus.”

Thelbert Lanier was waiting at the Mobile port for his wife, who sent him a text message from the ship early Thursday.

His wife wrote: “Room smells like an outhouse. Cold water only, toilets haven’t work in 3 1/2 days. Happy Valentines Day!!! I love u & wish I was there.”

Robert Giordano, whose 33-year-old wife Shannon is aboard the cruise liner with a group of friends from Edmond, Oklahoma, said he has yet to speak to someone at Carnival.

The disabled vessel slowly makes its way to port

All his information has come through pre-recorded phone calls, the most recent one Wednesday when he was told the ship would “probably” arrive in Mobile late on Thursday or early Friday. He found out more, he said, when NBC’s Today show called him.

Mr Giordano said: “That’s the biggest frustration for me now is that the media knows more than the family members do and certainly more than the passengers do on the ship.”

Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen said the company has tried to keep families updated and established a free hotline number for friends and relatives. He said about 200 Carnival employees are in Mobile waiting to assist passengers upon their arrival.

The ship left Galveston for a four-day cruise last Thursday. The vessel was about 150 miles (240 km) off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula when an engine room fire knocked out its primarypower source, crippling its water and plumbing systems and leaving it adrift on only backup power.

No one was injured in the fire, but a passenger with a pre-existing medical condition was taken off the ship as a precaution. The National Transportation Safety Board said it has opened an investigation into the cause.

The ship, which had been plagued by other mechanical problems in recent weeks, will be kept for several months.

Oscar Pistorius Charged Over Girlfriend Murder

The track star is accused of killing his girlfriend as police confirm previous "allegations of a domestic nature" at his home.

Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, right, leaves the Boshkop police station on February 14 to be taken into police custody, after allegedly shooting dead his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The world famous Paralympian emerged wearing a grey hooded jacket covering most of his face.

The FHM model was killed in Pistorius' home.

In earlier tweets, Miss Steenkamp's excitement about Valentine's Day with Pistorius was clear.

She had been dating the athlete since November.

Miss Steenkamp grew up in Port Elizabeth, where she studied law, but later moved to Johannesburg after signing a deal with cosmetics company Avon.

Miss Steenkamp was an entrepreneur who had said she was committed to empowering women.

She was due to give an inspirational talk at a school in Johannesburg.

Pistorius poses with a South African national flag after winning gold in the men's 400m T44 at the London 2012 Paralympic Games on September 8, 2012.

Pistorius wins the 200m T44 for Men at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games on September 21, 2004 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.

Pistorius poses with his artificial leg on Italian TV state channel Rai 1, on January 29, in Rome.

Pistorius arriving at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, where he won an appeal on May 16, 2008.

Pistorius waves as he celebrates winning gold in the final of the 100m T44 during the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games on September 9, 2008.

Miss Steenkamp was one of FHM magazine's 100 Sexiest Women in the World for two consecutive years.

Pistorius poses with his medals during day eight of the IPC Athletics Championships at QEII Park on January 29, 2011 in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Pistorius starts the men's 400m event during the Gugl track and field meeting on August 20, 2012 in Linz.

Pistorius crosses the line to win gold in the men's 400m T44 final at the London 2012 Paralympic Games on September 8, 2012.

Pistorius poses on the podium with his gold medal after winning the men's 400m T44 final.

Pistorius meets fans and signs autographs during the South African Paralympic team arrival on September 11, 2012 in Johannesburg.

Pistorius and Michael Phelps after they both lose their ball during the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on October 5, 2012 in Kingsbarns, Scotland.

Pistorius on the fourth hole during the third round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on October 6, 2012 in St Andrews, Scotland.

Pistorius holds his scroll after receiveing his honorary doctorate from Strathclyde University, Glasgow, on November 12, 2012.

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Gallery: Oscar Pistorius Charged With Murder

Paralympic and Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting dead his girlfriend at his home in South Africa.

The body of Reeva Steenkamp, a top South African model, was discovered at the athlete's home in the Silver Woods gated community in eastern Pretoria.

Pistorius reached the 400m semi-finals at the London 2012 Olympics

She had been shot four times. A 9mm pistol was found at the scene.

Initial reports in the South African media suggested Miss Steenkamp was apparently shot as she woke him, trying to surprise him on Valentine's Day, and was mistaken for an intruder.

But police later said the shooting was being treated as a murder and that they were "very surprised" by those reports, which they said did not come from them.

Brigadier Denise Beukes confirmed the couple were alone in the house at the time of the shooting and there was no sign of forced entry.

"I can't confirm that it's related to the person that's arrested but I can confirm there has previously been incidents at the home of Mr Oscar Pistorius," she said, saying that there were "allegations of a domestic nature".

Miss Steenkamp was due to speak at a Johannesburg school on Thursday

"There are witnesses and they have been interviewed this morning," she said. "We are talking about neighbours and people that heard things earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place."

Pistorius was arrested on Thursday morning and taken to hospital for a medical examination.

He emerged from a police station after questioning, flanked by plain-clothed officers and wearing a hooded jacket covering most of his face.

The athlete requested an immediate appearance at Pretoria Magistrate's Court, but prosecutors said this had been delayed until Friday morning to give forensic officers more time.

Police said they would be opposing bail when he appears in court.

The shooting took place at Pistorius' home at Silver Woods country estate

The 26-year-old is alleged to have shot his 30-year-old model girlfriend in the head and upper body. She died at the scene.

Paramedics were called to his home between 4am and 5am local time on Thursday.

The couple are believed to have started dating in November.

Her uncle, Mike Steenkamp, told reporters her family was "devastated" that her life had been cut short.

Miss Steenkamp's publicist, Sarit Tomlinson, described her as "the sweetest human being" and "a talented and bright young girl", adding that the couple had a "healthy, fabulous relationship".

Miss Steenkamp has been described as a 'talented and bright young girl'

Miss Steenkamp, a law graduate from Port Elizabeth who had posed in men's magazine FHM, was active on Twitter the day before.

She tweeted: "What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow??? #getexcited #ValentinesDay"

In response to someone else's plans, she said: "That sounds amazing! Wow that's what it's all about! It should be a day of love for everyone :) may it be blessed!"

She was due to give a talk at a school in Johannesburg just hours after her body was found, and to star in South African reality TV series Tropika Island of Treasure at the weekend, in which celebrities and ordinary people are tasked with daily challenges in remote, exotic locations.

Pistorius lives a short distance from the centre of Pretoria

Photos of the model appeared in newspapers at the weekend, when she described Pistorius as an impeccable man who always had her best interests at heart.

The Johannesburg-born athlete, known as the Blade Runner because of the carbon fibre blades he uses on the track, made history in 2012 when he became the first amputee to compete in the Olympics.

In the Paralympics, he won gold in the 400m and another in the 4x400m relay.

Both of his legs were amputated below the knee just before his first birthday because of a congenital condition.

Last year Time Magazine named him as one of the world's 100 most influential people.

A billboard advert featuring Pistorius is removed in South Africa

Pistorius, like many fellow South Africans, appeared to have serious concerns about his safety, and reportedly kept a revolver at his bedside and a machine gun by his window, as well as a cricket bat and baseball bat behind his bedroom door.

South Africa has some of the world's highest rates of violent crime with an average of nearly 50 people murdered each day. According to statistics, nearly 13 in every 100 people in the country own a gun.

Silver Woods is a high security complex with a three-metre-high wall, electric fence, a guarded entrance and regular patrols.

South Africa's M-Net cable TV channel said it was pulling an advertising campaign featuring Pistorius with immediate effect.

A Nike ad banner across the top of Pistorius' official website "I am the bullet in the chamber" has also been removed.