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Italy ferry fire: Evacuation hampered by winds | Italy ferry fire: Evacuation hampered by winds |
(42 minutes later) | |
Ships and helicopters are taking part in a major rescue operation after an Italian ferry carrying 478 people caught fire around 40 nautical miles north-west of Corfu. | Ships and helicopters are taking part in a major rescue operation after an Italian ferry carrying 478 people caught fire around 40 nautical miles north-west of Corfu. |
The Norman Atlantic was travelling from Patras in Greece to Ancona in Italy. | The Norman Atlantic was travelling from Patras in Greece to Ancona in Italy. |
Choppy seas and strong winds are hampering the rescue. Early reports that it was tilting have been denied. | Choppy seas and strong winds are hampering the rescue. Early reports that it was tilting have been denied. |
One person has died and another injured, Greek and Italian officials say. 161 people have been rescued. | |
Most of those on board were Greek. Others came from Italy, Turkey, Albania, Germany and many other countries, officials said. | |
The British ambassador to Greece said officials were investigating reports that two Britons were on board. | |
Italian media say the fire broke out on the ferry's car deck early on Sunday morning. | Italian media say the fire broke out on the ferry's car deck early on Sunday morning. |
"This is a complicated rescue mission... The visibility is poor and the weather conditions are difficult, but we are confident because there are a good number of ships in the area," Greece Merchant Marine Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said. | "This is a complicated rescue mission... The visibility is poor and the weather conditions are difficult, but we are confident because there are a good number of ships in the area," Greece Merchant Marine Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said. |
Italian and Albanian teams are also taking part in the rescue operation. | Italian and Albanian teams are also taking part in the rescue operation. |
One of the passengers told Greek TV station Mega: "On the lower deck, where the lifeboats are, our shoes were starting to melt from the heat." | One of the passengers told Greek TV station Mega: "On the lower deck, where the lifeboats are, our shoes were starting to melt from the heat." |
The wife of one of the cooks told journalists she had had a call from her husband saying: "I cannot breathe, we are all going to burn like rats - God save us." | The wife of one of the cooks told journalists she had had a call from her husband saying: "I cannot breathe, we are all going to burn like rats - God save us." |
Ferries are an important mode of transport between Greece's hundreds of islands as well as neighbouring countries. | Ferries are an important mode of transport between Greece's hundreds of islands as well as neighbouring countries. |
Are you, or is someone you know, affected by this story? Do you know any of the passengers on the ferry? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with any information. Please leave a telephone number if you are willing to be contacted by a BBC journalist. | |
Have your say | Have your say |
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (international). Or you can upload here. | Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (international). Or you can upload here. |
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