Eleven people are missing on a burning ferry off the Greek island of Corfu on Friday. This is reported by the Greek coast guard, according to the Reuters news agency. Two truck drivers are stuck on the ship, which was en route to Italy. The other 278 passengers were taken to safety, ten of them were taken to hospital.
Rescue operations with helicopters have been launched for the two truck drivers. The fire brigade has to help with this with fire boats, since the thick smoke makes it difficult to view the ever-burning boat.
It remains uncertain whether there are no more people trapped who are not officially known to be on the boat. There was also a stowaway among the passengers who were taken from the ship thanks to the deployment of lifeboats and helicopters.
It is not yet clear how the fire on the 183 meter long Euroferry Olympia started early Friday morning, according to the Greek authorities. The fire is believed to have started in the hull of the ferry, where vehicles were parked.
“When they sounded the alarm, I was sleeping in my cabin,” a Greek passenger told AP news agency. “I grabbed my ID and went to the deck, where people were gathered. It must have been about 3 or 4 a.m. Then we were put on boats.”