The Greek fire brigade has found the body of a passenger on the Greek-Italian ferry Olympia that caught fire on Friday off the coast of the Greek island of Corfu. The deceased was found in a charred truck. He was one of 11 missing and is the first reported death from the fire. His nationality has not been disclosed. Ten other passengers are still missing.
Rescue services have rescued 281 of the 292 passengers and crew so far, most of them on Saturday night. This morning they had rescued a 21-year-old truck driver from Belarus from the ship alive. He was discovered while towing the boat. Ten missing persons are still being sought.
The Euroferry Olympia of the Italian company Grimaldi had departed from the Greek port of Igoumenitsa and was en route to Brindisi, Italy when it caught fire near the island of Corfu. The ship had nearly 300 people on board, 241 passengers and 51 crew members. The rescued people have been taken to Corfu. Ten people had to be treated for minor injuries. The missing persons are truck drivers from Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece, according to the coast guard. A number of rescued truckers told local media that some drivers preferred to sleep in their trucks because the sleeping quarters on board were overcrowded.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. The prosecutor has launched a criminal investigation. The fire is believed to have started in the hull of the ferry. Owner Grimaldi Lines reports that the crew tried unsuccessfully to put out the fire. According to one of the rescued passengers, it took four hours before they were rescued.
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