BRINDISI, ITALY - At least one person was reported dead and others are missing as authorities struggle to air-lift 500 passengers and crew from a ferry that caught fire in the Adriatic Sea Sunday.
Initially, efforts were being made to tow the ferry to safety, but gale force winds and driving hail have made the effort nearly impossible. Meanwhile, approximately 140 passengers and possible crew have been airlifted to safety after the nation of Italy took over the rescue effort.
"We are burning and sinking, no one can save us!" said Nikos Papetheodosiou to Greek TV by telephone. "Please help us! Don't leave us!"
The surviving passengers have climbed to the top decks of the listing ferry with choking smoke billowing into the night. The Italian Coastguard said the fire had been tamed. Cables have been attached to the ship and fire-boats to stabilize the ship while passenger and crew are evacuated.
The North Atlantic provides harsh conditions with little chance for extended survival time for anyone forced into the water.
Sources for this article include the L.A. Times and Reuters.
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| A.P. photo
The ferry, the Norman Atlantic, caught fire about 13 miles from the Albanian port city of Vlore between Greece and Italy. The fire seemed to have started on the lower decks with continuing explosions thereafter.
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Initially, efforts were being made to tow the ferry to safety, but gale force winds and driving hail have made the effort nearly impossible. Meanwhile, approximately 140 passengers and possible crew have been airlifted to safety after the nation of Italy took over the rescue effort.
"We are burning and sinking, no one can save us!" said Nikos Papetheodosiou to Greek TV by telephone. "Please help us! Don't leave us!"
The surviving passengers have climbed to the top decks of the listing ferry with choking smoke billowing into the night. The Italian Coastguard said the fire had been tamed. Cables have been attached to the ship and fire-boats to stabilize the ship while passenger and crew are evacuated.
The North Atlantic provides harsh conditions with little chance for extended survival time for anyone forced into the water.
Sources for this article include the L.A. Times and Reuters.
"The North Atlantic provides harsh conditions with little chance for extended survival time for anyone forced into the water"
ReplyDeleteThis is not North Atlantic it's in Adriatic part of the Med.
lol