Greece resumes ‘difficult’ search on burning ferry as ten people still missing

·

Greek firefighters and coastguards have resumed the search for 10 people still missing from last week’s ferry fire that killed a truck driver.

The fire on the Italian-flagged, Euroferry Olympia, is burning for a fourth day.

“It is a very difficult operation,” a fire department spokeswoman told the AFP news agency on Monday.

READ MORE: Greece reports first fatality after blaze on ferry, 10 still missing.

Smoke rises from the Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris.

More than 40 firefighters and two helicopters are currently taking part in the search and rescue operation with tugboats, and coastguard vessels are on standby nearby.

A total of 281 people have already been rescued. They included two men who were airlifted by rescuers off the ferry and a third man who managed to free himself and reach the deck of the vessel after being trapped for more than two days.

The body of a 58-year-old Greek truck driver was recovered on Sunday, the first confirmed death in the accident.

Firefighters carry a body from the Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia. Photo: Hellenic Fire Service via AP.

Ten other truck drivers – seven Bulgarians, two Greeks and one Turk – remain unaccounted for.

Relatives of the missing passengers are waiting for news outside the port authority on the Greek island of Corfu.

The last fire on board a ship in the Adriatic occurred in December 2014 on the Italian ferry, Norman Atlantic, in which 13 people died.

Source: AlJazeera.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

‘Bad habits’ turned good: Greece’s massive Op Shop and its charismatic founder

'Paliosinitheies' (Bad Habits in English) is Greece's largest ‘Opportunity’ or ‘Op Shop’ - as we Aussies call it.

Father Dimitri Tsakas’ bold take on papal diplomacy in ‘Between Altars and Alliances’

Father Dimitri Tsakas, a Greek Orthodox priest, offers a rich, expansive, and intellectually sophisticated exploration of Pope Francis' diplomatic legacy.

Artificial Intelligence boosts wildfire detection in Cyprus

As Cyprus faces another intense summer with growing wildfire risks, the Municipality of Paralimni-Deryneia is adopting AI.

I understand Greek but struggle to speak it – how can I overcome that barrier

Understanding but not speaking is a common experience of heritage language or background language communities. 

Cyprus: Historical and political responsibilities of a national tragedy (Part 2)

In the previous article, we mentioned that with the Annan Plan we would now have a Federation of two states.

You May Also Like

Treaty of Lausanne: Virtual lecture presents consequences of historic peace treaty

The virtual legacy, based off the anaysis of expert perspectives, puts the Treaty of Lausanne's lasting legacy in question.

Photini Pazartzis elected to lead the United Nations Human Rights Committee

Photini Pazartzis has been elected the new Chairperson of the influential United Nations Human Rights Committee.

Greek ex-Minister sues newspaper over accusations of Mati fire ‘cover-up’

A recent article by Kathimerini about the Mati fire in July 2018 which cost the lives of more than 100 people, has caused outrage throughout Greece.