(Reuters) — Italian and Greek helicopter crews worked into the night to airlift passengers off a burning ferry adrift in the Adriatic Sea, battling darkness and bad weather that hampered rescue efforts by other ships throughout Sunday (December 28).
Helicopters were plucking passengers off the Italian-flagged Norman Atlantic and transferring them to a nearby vessel, after a dramatic day that began when a fire broke out on its lower deck in the early hours.
Authorities said one Greek man had died and there were reports of four injured among 478 passengers and crew and as night fell.
Italian authorities said 172 people were clear of the danger zone.
At the Antonio Perrino hospital in Italy’s Brindisi eight passengers were treated for dehydration and hypothermia, the head of the hospital’s accidents and emergencies department, Pasquale Prisco, said.
“So far we have had eight patients in total. Two of them, a five year old girl and an adult, have been hospitalized. Three patients have been dismissed and as for the other three we are in the progress of verifying whether they need to remain in hospital or if they can be dismissed. None of the eight were in serious conditions, they were treated for symptoms of dehydration and hypothermia,” he said.
The hospital’s director Graziella di Bella said more passengers were expected to arrive later on Sunday night.
“We are waiting for instructions from the crisis unit as to how to proceed with the patients over the night once they have received the necessary medical treatment. We are also waiting for news regarding other arrivals in Brindisi on a merchant ship that should bring 49 survivors of the tragedy that probably will need medical help.”
Greek Shipping Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said the fire now appeared to be partly under control and said the ship would be towed to Italy after an official said it would go to an Albanian port. Italian officials said it would probably be taken to either Brindisi or Otranto on the southern coast once towing cables could be securely attached.
The airlifts would continue while the boat was being towed towards port, and rescue workers would try to get closer by boat to bring people off if conditions allowed, he said.
The Italian navy said two Italian airforce helicopters, one Greek Superpuma helicopter and an Italian plane were taking part in the rescue, winching up passengers in small groups. Other aircraft and 10 ships were also taking part in the operation in support roles.
Earlier, Greek coastguard spokesman Nikos Lagkadianos said the heavy rain that was hampering the rescue had helped contain the fire although the ship was still burning.
Varvitsiotis said the bad weather, with winds of up to 55 mph (88 kph) earlier, made the operation one of the most complex Greek authorities had been involved in and vowed that no one would be left behind.
Coastguard officials said the Norman Atlantic, which was also carrying more than 200 vehicles, was 44 nautical miles northwest of the island of Corfu when it radioed for help. It had been travelling from Patras in western Greece to the Italian city of Ancona.
Command of the operation was transferred to Italy after winds took the helpless vessel out of Greek waters but officials were coordinating closely and an Albanian coastguard vessel was also taking part.
A coastguard official said nearby passenger and container ships had attempted to form a ring around the burning vessel to try to form a windbreak to allow small rescue boats to approach.
Officials said most of the passengers were Greek but the passenger list included names from several other countries including Germany, Italy, Austria, Turkey, France and the Netherlands. Many appeared to be truck drivers.
The fire broke out in the lower deck garage of the vessel but there were differing accounts of when it started. Initial reports said the fire began at around 6.00 a.m. (0400 GMT) but Italian officials put the time at 4.30 a.m.
The Norman Atlantic is a 26,900-tonne, roll-on roll-off ferry chartered by Greek ferry company ANEK.
According to marine traffic data, it was built in 2009 and previously operated in Italy. ANEK said in a statement it was cooperating with rescue authorities.
