A ferry boat that caught fire while going from Greece to Italy is still on the lookout for survivors.
As rescuers continue their hunt for 11 additional passengers who remain unaccounted for, one person has been rescued from the stern of a ship that has been burning for three days, according to Greece's coastguard.
According to the coastguard, who spoke to The Associated Press on Sunday, the survivor, a Belarusian guy, was discovered on the left rear side of the Euroferry Olympia in what appeared to be decent health.
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The announcement comes three hours after the Italian-owned ferry, which was carrying more than 290 passengers and crew members, as well as 153 trucks and 32 cars, caught fire on Friday in the northwestern Greek port of Igoumenitsa, on the mainland, on its way to Brindisi, Italy, according to the Greek press agency.
Approximately 280 people were evacuated to the neighbouring island of Corfu, which was a relief effort. One of the two passengers who were saved late on Saturday was not on the ship's manifest and is assumed to be an asylum seeker, prompting worries that there may be more illegal passengers on board as a result of the rescue.
Three tugboats are gently towing the ship to the port of Kassiopi, which is located in northeastern Corfu, according to the authorities. Firefighters were still battling the incident, which, although being contained in specific areas, re-ignites from time to time and is accompanied by dense smoke billowing above the deck of the ship.
In certain areas of the ship, rescuers – which include members of the Greek fire service's Disaster Management Unit as well as a team of private rescue workers – have been unable to explore the entire vessel because of excessive temperatures in those areas. The boat is slightly listing as a result of the massive amount of water that has been pumped into it, but authorities do not believe it is in danger of capizing at this time.
An inquiry into the cause of the fire has been requested by a prosecutor on the Greek island of Corfu. The firm that operates the ferry, which is located in Italy, stated that the fire originated in a hold where cars were being parked.
The captain of the ship and two of his engineers were taken into custody on Friday, but were released the same day, according to police.
There was a dramatic rescue situation recounted by passengers.
"We were alerted about the alarm. We were under the impression that it was some sort of practice. On the other hand, we could see people rushing through the portholes," truck driver Karaolanidis told the Associated Press on Saturday.
"You can't think about anything else at the time (except from) your family... When I stepped onto the balcony, I noticed smoke and children. It was fortunate that they (the crew) reacted swiftly."
Officials stated that the persons rescued were citizens of Albania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Italy, and Lithuania, among other countries and regions.
According to reports, the missing truckers slept in their cars since the vessel's rooms were full at the time.
It was "miserable from every point of view," according to the son of a missing Greek truck driver, who spoke to the online daily Proto Thema about his father's disappearance.
In the waiting room at the port awaiting news, he described the situation as follows: "It had bed bugs, it was filthy, and it had no security measures." "It had 150 lorries crammed into it." Normally, it would have 70 to 75 cabins, but there are only 50 available. "They compel us to share a cabin with four other individuals," he explained.
"According to what I've heard, my father slept in the pickup truck."
Last year's shipboard fire in the Adriatic happened aboard the Italian ferry Norman Atlantic, which was sunk in December 2014. The blaze claimed the lives of thirteen persons.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
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