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Norman Atlantic ferry fire: One killed and hundreds still trapped as passengers are airlifted from burning Greece-Italy boat | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Hundreds of people remain trapped after a ferry caught fire on route from Greece to Italy, sparking an international rescue mission in challenging rough sea conditions. | |
Officials said one person has died and at least one other is injured, as high winds and choppy waters leave rescue vessels and aircraft struggling to get close enough to help. | |
Around 130 of the almost 480 people on board had been evacuated, the majority when a lifeboat was successfully lowered from the stricken vessel, but an operation to airlift the remaining passengers to safety - two at a time - could take hours. | |
Those still on board - thought to include two British nationals - have made desperate pleas for assistance. | |
“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. | “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. |
An image from vesselfinder.com showing the location of the Norman Atalntic off the coast of Italy's 'heel' (left) 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. | An image from vesselfinder.com showing the location of the Norman Atalntic off the coast of Italy's 'heel' (left) 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 fire broke out in the lower deck garage of the vessel, Italian officials have said, at around 4.30am local time (2.30am GMT). | 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). |
he ferry carrying hundreds of passengers caught fire off the Greek island of Corfu early on Sunday British woman Dotty Channing-Williams said her son Nicholas was aboard the Norman Atlantic with his fiancee Regina, and that she had spoken to him by telephone since the fire broke out, but that she had since lost contact with him. | |
"People in Greece are saying that their communications have been cut off, so as not to hamper rescue operations which I can fully understand," she told Sky News. | |
"They're keeping me updated via the news coming over the Greek television. But nevertheless it is very, very worrying and very scary. | |
"So I just hope that they will be able to get everybody off there as soon as possible." | |
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." | 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." |
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. | 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.” | “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.” |
The vessel Norman Atlantic is seen in this photo taken on September 26, 2014 Varvitsiotis said there were 478 passengers and crew aboard the ship, more than the 466 originally reported. Of those, 268 were Greek. | |
While rescue vessels and aircraft had been dispatched to the scene, early work was being coordinated from nearby passenger and cargo ships. | |
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. | 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. | Rescue helicopters and a C-130 search-and-rescue support aircraft had also been sent. |
Additional reporting by Reuters | Additional reporting by Reuters |