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Norman Atlantic ablaze: Major rescue under way as Greece-Italy ferry evacuated in high winds Norman Atlantic ablaze: Major rescue under way as Greece-Italy ferry evacuated in high winds
(about 2 hours later)
An international rescue effort was under way in high winds after a car ferry carrying 466 passengers and crew caught fire while sailing from Greece to Italy and its captain ordered its evacuation.An international rescue effort was under way in high winds after a car ferry carrying 466 passengers and crew caught fire while sailing from Greece to Italy and its captain ordered its evacuation.
Passengers who telephoned Greek television stations gave dramatic testimony of conditions on the ship, which caught fire just before 6.00 a.m. local time (04:00 GMT) while travelling from Patras in western Greece to the eastern Italian city of Ancona. A ferry carrying almost 500 people has caught fire on route from Greece to Italy, sparking an international rescue mission in challenging rough sea conditions.
"They tried to lower some boats, but not all of us could get in. There is no co-ordination," one said. "It's dark, the bottom of the vessel is on fire. We are on the bridge, we can see a boat approaching... we opened some boxes and got some life vests, we are trying to save ourselves." High winds and choppy waters mean rescue vessels and aircraft have been unable to get close enough to save more than a few dozen passengers, while those still on board have made desperate pleas for help.
It was unclear whether there had been any casualties or whether any passengers were in the water, where cold winter temperatures would make survival difficult unless rescue came quickly. “We are burning and sinking, no one can save us,” Nikos Papatheodosiou told Greek TV by telephone. “Please help us! Don't leave us,” he added before hanging up.
The Norman Atlantic, carrying 222 vehicles, 411 passengers and 55 crew, was 44 nautical miles northwest of the island of Corfu when it sent a distress signal after a fire started in the lower deck, Greek coast guard officials said. The Norman Atlantic car ferry was just over 40 miles northwest of Corfu when it sent out a distress signal to the Greek coast guard.
"The ship is already being evacuated," an official told Reuters, adding that 130 people had been transferred from a rescue boat to a container ship that had been nearby when the fire broke out. The fire broke out in the lower deck garage of the vessel, Italian officials have said, at around 4.30am local time (2.30am GMT).
Officials said both Italian and Albanian authorities were taking part in the operation, which was being conducted in difficult conditions with strong winds. It was unclear whether there had been casualties or if any passengers were in the water, though officials said wintry water temperatures would make survival in the sea difficult unless rescue came quickly.
Seven other ships were in the area and rescue helicopters and a C-130 search-and-rescue support aircraft had also been sent. Another caller to Greek TV described the rescue effort. "They tried to lower some boats, but not all of us could get in. There is no co-ordination," he said. "It's dark, the bottom of the vessel is on fire. We are on the bridge, we can see a boat approaching... we opened some boxes and got some life vests, we are trying to save ourselves."
Reuters The Greek shipping minister, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, said the combination of very bad weather, with winds of up to 55 miles (88 kilometres) per hour and the fire, made the operation extremely complicated.
“We are doing everything we can to save those on board and no one, no one will be left helpless in this tough situation," he told reporters. "It is one of the most complicated rescue operations that we have ever done.”
He did not confirm earlier reports that as many as 130 people had been rescued, saying only that 35 people had been able to board a nearby container ship, the Spirit of Piraeus, from a rescue boat carrying 150.
Varvitsiotis said there were 478 passengers and crew aboard the ship, more than the 466 originally reported. Of those, 268 were Greek. There were no immediate details of the nationality of other passengers.
While rescue vessels and aircraft had been dispatched to the scene, early rescue work was being coordinated from nearby passenger and cargo ships. A fire-fighting vessel was trying to approach the ferry, he said.
Officials said both Italian and Albanian authorities were taking part in the operation, which was being conducted in extremely difficult conditions with strong winds, heavy seas and very cold temperatures.
Rescue helicopters and a C-130 search-and-rescue support aircraft had also been sent.
Additional reporting by Reuters