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Italy ferry fire: Evacuation hampered by winds | Italy ferry fire: Evacuation hampered by winds |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Ships and helicopters are taking part in a major rescue operation after an Italian ferry carrying 478 people caught fire north-west of Corfu. | Ships and helicopters are taking part in a major rescue operation after an Italian ferry carrying 478 people caught fire north-west of Corfu. |
One person has died after jumping from the ship and another has been confirmed injured, officials say. | One person has died after jumping from the ship and another has been confirmed injured, officials say. |
A total of 190 people have been rescued but more than 280 remain on the Norman Atlantic which was travelling from Patras in Greece to Ancona in Italy. | |
Choppy seas and strong winds are hampering the night-time rescue. | Choppy seas and strong winds are hampering the night-time rescue. |
Most of those on board were Greek. Others came from Italy, Turkey, Albania, Germany and many other countries, officials said. | Most of those on board were Greek. Others came from Italy, Turkey, Albania, Germany and many other countries, officials said. |
A passenger manifest said that two Britons were on board, but the BBC understands that there may have been as many as six. | |
Italian media say the fire broke out on the ferry's car deck before spreading. | Italian media say the fire broke out on the ferry's car deck before spreading. |
Rescued passengers include a seven-month pregnant woman and her two children, who are all being treated for hypothermia, according to Italian media reports. | Rescued passengers include a seven-month pregnant woman and her two children, who are all being treated for hypothermia, according to Italian media reports. |
'Shoes melting' | 'Shoes melting' |
Two Italian and two Greek helicopters are taking turns to winch passengers from the ship, two at a time, Greek officials say. | Two Italian and two Greek helicopters are taking turns to winch passengers from the ship, two at a time, Greek officials say. |
"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. |
Mr Varvitsiotis later told reporters the fire had been brought partly under control. | Mr Varvitsiotis later told reporters the fire had been brought partly under control. |
"It will be a very difficult night, a night in which we hope we will be able to rescue all on board," he said. | "It will be a very difficult night, a night in which we hope we will be able to rescue all on board," he said. |
Nearby merchant vessels aligned themselves in formation to protect the ship from waves and facilitate the rescue. | Nearby merchant vessels aligned themselves in formation to protect the ship from waves and facilitate the rescue. |
Italian and Albanian teams are also taking part in the rescue operation - some 19 nautical miles from the Albanian coast. | Italian and Albanian teams are also taking part in the rescue operation - some 19 nautical miles from the Albanian coast. |
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." |
Another passenger told the same station that smoke was engulfing the ship. | Another passenger told the same station that smoke was engulfing the ship. |
"We are outside, we are very cold, the ship is full of smoke, the boat is still burning, the floors are boiling, underneath the cabins it must be burning since 5 o'clock, the boats that came (to rescue us) are gone, and we are here. They cannot take us," they said. | "We are outside, we are very cold, the ship is full of smoke, the boat is still burning, the floors are boiling, underneath the cabins it must be burning since 5 o'clock, the boats that came (to rescue us) are gone, and we are here. They cannot take us," they said. |
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." |
Another passenger said some of those on board were suffering from hypothermia, including young children. | Another passenger said some of those on board were suffering from hypothermia, including young children. |
"It's pitch black. It's freezing", they told a friend by telephone. | "It's pitch black. It's freezing", they told a friend by telephone. |
It is not yet clear what may have caused the fire. | It is not yet clear what may have caused the fire. |
The chief executive of the Visentini group that owns the vessel, Carlo Visentini, said the ferry had passed a recent technical inspection despite a "slight malfunction" in one of the fire doors, Italy's Ansa news agency reports. | The chief executive of the Visentini group that owns the vessel, Carlo Visentini, said the ferry had passed a recent technical inspection despite a "slight malfunction" in one of the fire doors, Italy's Ansa news agency reports. |
"The tests confirmed that the boat was in full working order," he said, adding that the fire door had been repaired "to the satisfaction of the inspectors". | "The tests confirmed that the boat was in full working order," he said, adding that the fire door had been repaired "to the satisfaction of the inspectors". |
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. | 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. |
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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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