A ferry
which set on fire during its journey from Greece to Italy is to be towed to
Italy's mainland. One person has died, with hundreds more are still stranded on
the ship in the Adriatic Sea.
Deutsche Welle, 28 Dec 2014
Italian
officials said the Noram atlantic ferry would probably be taken to either
Brindisi or Otranto on Italy's southern coast once towing cables could be
securely attached.
Airlifts
were also set to continue throughout Sunday night whilst the boat was towed
towards mainland Italy.
The Italian
navy said that two Italian air force helicopters, one Greek Superpuma
helicopter, and an Italian plane were continuing to take part in the rescue,
pulling up passengers in small groups. Other aircraft and 10 ships were also
taking part in the operation in support roles.
Throughout
Sunday, firefighting vessels and helicopters from Greece and Italy were sent to
the scene as part of a rescue operation coordinated by Italy. Efforts were
hindered, however, by extreme weather conditions.
One death
Italian
Coast Guard official Giovanni Pettorino confirmed earlier on Sunday that one person had died during the rescue operation and another had been injured - both
of whom were transported by Italian rescuers to the country's mainland.
The
Italian-flagged ANEK Lines ferry is thought to have set ablaze after a fire broke out in the lower deck garage of the boat in the early hours of Sunday
morning. At the time the ferry was about 44 nautical miles off the coast of
Corfu, after leaving the Greek port of Patras en route to Ancona in Italy.
Intense
heat
Hundreds
were left stranded on smoke-filled top decks as the fire spread throughout the
vessel. Passengers contacted Greek television stations via mobile phone to
describe their horror as high winds, rain and violent seas lashed the burning
ferry. Various passengers also reported that the heat was so intense that shoes
had started to melt.
In total,
there were 478 passengers and crew aboard the ship, around 234 of whom were
said to be Greek. According to the German Foreign Office, 18 Germans were also
on board.
ksb/es (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)
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