No One Could Have Known That 12 Passengers Would Never Reach Their Destination (March 22-24 2006) The cruise ship Millennium departs Valparaiso, Chile, with 536 passengers for an excursion that was to conclude in Fort Lauderdale, Florida fourteen days later. No one could have known that twelve passengers would never reach their destination. On the fourth day of the cruise, the ship made its first port call at Arica, where some of the passengers disembarked to tour Lauca National Park, near the Bolivian border. In the late afternoon the group boarded a minibus to return to the ship. As the bus navigated the narrow and winding roads, high in the Arica Mountains, the unspeakable happened. The bus swerved to avoid an oncoming truck, and the driver lost control of the vehicle. The minibus plunged 300 feet down into a canyon. Twelve passengers — members of a synagogue tour group — were killed. At 1 a.m., VitalOne was contacted by Rabbi Leibel Miller, director of the Chabad Chevra Kadisha (ritual purification organization for the deceased) in Florida. By 4:30 a.m., VitalOne’s director Rabbi Isaac Leider was on a plane to Chile. Rabbi Miller was on site when Rabbi Leider arrived, and was already working together with local authorities. VitalOne explained to Chilean authorities that Jewish law requires every drop of blood and tissue be buried with the deceased. Under VitalOne’s guidance all twelve victims were recovered and identified. The US Ambassador to Chile, Craig Kelly, and staff member Mr. Sean Murphy worked around the clock to expedite the release of the victims. The remains were soon flown back to the US for a proper Jewish burial. Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved. www.VitalOne.org Air Medical Transport Patient & Family Support Crisis Assistance Search & Rescue Disaster & Recovery Site Designed & Developed by SmartWeb