Athens - Rough seas and gale-force wind on Sunday hampered the evacuation of 466 people from a ferry that caught fire while heading to Italy from the Greek port city of Patras.
“The rescue operation is one of the most complicated to date because of the rough seas, heavy rain and gale-force winds,” said Greek Merchant Marine Minister Miltiades Varvisiotis.
“The visibility is poor which is preventing the handful of coast guard vessels, cruise ships and cargo ships currently in the area from approaching the ship,” Varvisiotis added.
The fire started in the ship's garage and was quickly spreading through the ship, which was sailing 30 nautical miles off the coast of the Greek island of Corfu when it sent a distress signal.
“There is a lot of black smoke on one side of the ship and the bottom of the vessel is on fire. Many of the passengers managed to make their way to the top deck and on the bridge,” passenger Rania Firaiou told Mega.
“There are several cargo ships and vessels around us but the waves and rain are making it difficult for them to approach the ship,” said Firaiou.
The ship has been identified as Italian-flagged Norman Atlantic, which belongs to Greek ferry line ANEK. It was heading to the Italian port of Ancona.
Many passengers were on deck waiting to be evacuated. Others were reportedly trapped in one section of the ship's top deck.
Another passenger, also speaking via mobile phone, said lifeboats available on the ship were not sufficient.
Greek and Italian helicopters and rescue vessels were also in the area as well as the passenger ship Europa Cruise, the minister said.
Sapa-dpa