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Ferry fire

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Maik:

--- Quote ---A major rescue operation is underway for a Greek ferry carrying more than 460 people which caught fire around 40 nautical miles north-west of Corfu.

The Norman Atlantic was travelling from the Greek port of Patras to the Italian city of Ancona.

Nearby ships have been called in to rescue the passengers and crew but strong winds are hampering the operation, Greek authorities say.

There are no immediate reports of casualties.

Italian media say the fire broke out on the ferry's car deck early on Sunday morning.

Around 35 passengers were transferred to a nearby Greek ferry by lifeboat, 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" he said.
--- End quote ---
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30615721

Maik:

--- Quote ---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.

“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 car ferry was just over 40 miles northwest of Corfu when it sent out a distress signal to the Greek coast guard.

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.

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.

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.
--- End quote ---
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/norman-atlantic-ablaze-major-rescue-under-way-as-greeceitaly-ferry-evacuated-in-high-winds-9946679.html

Maik:

--- Quote ---"The fire is still burning," Greek passenger Sofoklis Styliaras told private Mega television. "On the lower deck, where the lifeboats are, our shoes were starting to melt from the heat. ... There's nowhere else for us to go. It's impossible to walk on the lower deck because of the heat."

Merchant Marine Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said a life boat carrying about 150 passengers had been lowered into the water, but that only 35 had been moved to a nearby cargo ship so far because of the turbulent weather.

"This is a very difficult, a very complex rescue operation," he said. "The visibility is poor and the weather conditions are difficult."

At least seven merchant ships were next to the Norman Atlantic as part of the rescue effort, and being used to form a barrier against the high winds of up to 75 kilometers per hour (46 miles per hour).
--- End quote ---
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_28/12/2014_545755



--- Quote ---Most of the passengers were lorry drivers but some were families with children, according to radio reports reaching Bari.

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.
--- End quote ---
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/11315002/Passenger-ferry-evacuated-after-fire-breaks-out-off-Greece.html

Maik:

--- Quote ---A coastguard official said nearby passenger and container ships were attempting to form a ring around the burning vessel to try to form a windbreak to allow small rescue boats to approach but rough seas made the manoeuvre difficult.

Varvitsiotis said there were 478 passengers and crew aboard the ship, more than the 466 originally reported. Of those, he said 268 were Greek, while a foreign ministry official said there were also passengers from several other countries including Germany, Italy, Austria, Turkey, France and the Netherlands. Many appeared to be truck drivers.

One Greek passenger told a television reporter that language differences hindered communication between passengers and crew.
--- End quote ---
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/28/us-greece-ship-idUSKBN0K603J20141228

Maik:

--- Quote ---Dramatic cries from the passengers of the burning ship: “Pray for us for there is no escape” – “We shall freeze to death if flames don’t consume us"

Originally the fire broke out in the garage but quickly spread throughout the ship around 4 in the morning and immediately the evacuation operation started, amid strong winds up to 8 Beaufort.

At that point about 222 cars were in the garage, most of them trucks.

Less than half of the passengers managed to get in the lifeboats, others in panic fell into the sea and the rest are waiting for help on the bridge of the ship.

One of the passengers a truck driver Mr. Alexandros Veneris spoke to protothema.gr and said that: “We’ve been here for so many hours and noone has managed to reach us. Don’t listen to what they say, there is no help as yet. Panic prevails and everyone has started to fear and losing their temper. We urge the media to do something to help us. We don’t have much battery left on our mobile phones and we can’t keep taliking to our relatives for much longer”.

According to another truck owner Mr. Yiannis Milonas who is also in the flaming ship, there are about 20 to 25 tanks with oil.
--- End quote ---
http://en.protothema.gr/dramatic-cry-for-help-we-are-stranded-and-everyone-onboard-is-overwealmed-by-panic/

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