A car ferry caught fire off Corfu in the Ionian Sea. Greek and Italian boats evacuated nearly 300 people. Eleven passengers still missing.
Update from February 18, 9:48 p.m.: A fire broke out on a car ferry off Corfu. Most of the people on board were brought to safety by the rescue ships. However, two men were still stuck early in the evening. However, a special unit of the Greek rescue service managed to save the two men from the burning car ferry “Euroferry Olympia” on Friday evening. The two had been in contact with the rescue workers since the morning, they were locked below deck. The state broadcaster ERT showed footage of a helicopter that lowered helpers and then picked up the men.
It was also reported that at least five other people may have survived – but this information has not yet been confirmed by the Coast Guard. The rescue workers continued their work, because in addition to the two rescued, a further eleven of the 290 officially recorded passengers and crew members were considered missing. They are said to be primarily truck drivers who had spent the night in their vehicles on the garage decks.
Ferry off Corfu in flames: several people were injured
first reportATHENS – The car ferry had left the port of Igoumenitsa in Greece and was on its way to the Italian port of Brindisi when the fire suddenly broke out. The captain asked the passengers and crew to disembark the ferry. Videos on social media show the Euroferry Olympia engulfed in flames.
It is initially unclear whether everyone made it into the lifeboats. A patrol vessel from the Italian Guardia di Finanza was reportedly one of the first rescue vessels to arrive. Other ships from the region were also involved in the rescue operation. Fishermen also rushed to help people on the ferry. “We can hear explosions, they must be cargo trucks,” said Nikos Bardis, one of the fishermen ERT.
Several people were injured in the fire on the ferry, including two passengers and a crew member. The three injured were taken to hospital as a precaution. TV images showed the 42-year-old man with breathing problems was struggling to walk and had to be helped by firefighters. He was taken to the hospital in Corfu. A total of 237 passengers and 51 crew members were on board the “Euroferry Olympia”, said rescue workers.
Ferry off Corfu in flames: at least two people trapped
According to the Greek coast guard, two people were still stuck on the “Euroferry Olympia”, which was on fire, and a helicopter was sent to their rescue. Two drivers who were in the hold reserved for vehicles called for help by phone and should now be picked up by a helicopter.
Earlier, the governor of the Ionian Islands, Rodi Kratsa, on the TV channel ERT said all passengers were “safely” taken to Corfu on lifeboats. She did not confirm reports from the Greek media that people were still trapped by the fire on board. There were fears that stowaways were on board. It sometimes happens that migrants sneak onto ferries from Greece to Italy.
Flame drama on car ferry in Greece: fire broke out below deck?
“We heard the fire broke out in the hold, but it wasn’t safe,” a man who said he was on board told the broadcaster Skai TV. “It took 15 minutes for the fire to reach the deck.” The mostly Italian crew reacted “simply perfectly” to the danger, the man reported. Other passengers spoke of “panic on board”.
According to the Coast Guard, the ferry captain had asked the passengers to leave the ship immediately after the fire broke out. At the same time, Italian and Greek patrol boats and coast guard tugs, as well as firefighters from Corfu, were dispatched to the scene of the accident. A frigate and two helicopters from the Greek Navy were also involved in the rescue operation.
Flames on the car ferry off Corfu: the cause of the fire is still unclear
The cause of fire was unclear for the moment. The fire may have started from a truck parked on the ferry, the Italian news agency Ansa reported, citing the crew.
The “Euroferry Olympia” currently sails under the Italian flag. The ship, built in 1995, belongs to the Italian shipping company Grimaldi.
There is a lively ferry traffic between the west coast of Greece and the Italian Adriatic. In December 2014, a fire broke out on a ferry running between Patras and Ancona off the Adriatic coast. 13 people died in the accident, including nine passengers. (afp/ dpa/ml)
A fire inferno raged in Greece last summer: A shocking video from the ship shows the hell of flames.
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