Greece: One dead and one survivor after ferry fire

This first victim is one of 11 passengers, truck drivers, missing after the fire, the Greek coastguard confirmed to theFrance Media AgencyAFP.

The discovery Sunday morning of a passenger alive on the Italian ferry had aroused the optimism of the authorities and the relatives of the missing.

But an operation launched to rescue four to five other passengers presumed alive led to the discovery of the charred body of a man in a truck parked in the holds of the ferry, according to Greek firefighters.

The survivor, in the center in a yellow jacket, of the still burning Euroferry Olympia, is escorted by Greek coast guards as he arrives at the port of the island of Corfu, in the north-west of Greece.

Photo: Associated Press / Stamatis Katopodis

Early in the morning, a 21-year-old truck driver from Belarus was found safe and sound at the stern of the ship, where his presence had been detected while the boat was being towed less than 3 km north of Corfu, have indicated to theFrance Media AgencyAFP the Greek Coast Guard.

nicknamed the miraculously by several Greek media, he was brought back to the port of Corfu, dressed in Bermuda shorts and wearing flip-flops, his legs stained with soot, noted a journalist from theFrance Media AgencyAFP.

I’m doing wellthe smiling young man briefly told reporters, before boarding an ambulance to the hospital, where doctors found him in very good shapeaccording to the director of the establishment.

The Euroferry Olympia of the Italian company Grimaldi caught fire on Friday at dawn, en route to the Italian port of Brindisi, two hours after leaving the Greek port of Igoumenitsa, with 290 people, including 51 crew members , recorded on board.

Nearly 300 survivors

So far, 279 people identified have been rescued, as well as two illegal Afghan migrants, raising fears of more missing.

Ten drivers are now still missing. The nationality of the victim has not yet been specified by the authorities, among the seven Bulgarians, the three Greeks and the Turk who are missing.

The authorities had announced their optimism to find them alive, underlined Nikos Alexiou, spokesperson for the coast guard on ERT.

The young survivor said he heard voices on board the boat, hospital director Leonidas Roumpatis told the media.

I was in my cabin. I went down to the last basement. I heard voices. I haven’t seen the othershe said, quoted by the Iefimerida site.

The stricken ferry seems still have safe places for passengers. As we saw one of them come out, there’s hopesaid a rescuer, Andreas Korikis.

The search continues, but access is impossible in placeshe told the ANA.

Smoke rises from the Euroferry Olympia on fire for the third day, in the Ionian Sea near the Greek island of Corfu.

Photo: Associated Press/Petros Giannakouris

The news of the discovery of a survivor was received with emotion in the port of Corfu. He’s alive, I tell you he’s aliveshouted the wife of a missing Greek driver. Please do what you can. They can’t survive any longerimplored Vanas Bekiari, quoted by the Greek agency ANA.

About forty firefighters were mobilized on Sunday to participate in the rescue.

Heat load and toxicity on the ship remain highsaid Deputy Minister of Merchant Marine Costas Katsafados. In places, the fire is still burning. The operations are really delicatehe said on Skai.

Critics have been mounting since Saturday on the safety conditions on board the Euroferry Olympia, which left with 800 m3 of fuel oil and 23 tonnes of corrosive hazardous productsaccording to the Italian Ministry of the Environment.

The investigation by the Greek Maritime Accident Service has only just begun. But the fire could have started from a truck parked in the holds.

However, several truck drivers said they preferred to sleep in their truck than in crowded cabins.

From what I know, my father slept in the truck. The boat was in a pitiful state in every waysaid Ilias Gerontidakis, the son of a missing Greek, denouncing the lack of cabins, security and dirtiness.

In accordance with international law, the ferry, built in 1995, had successfully passed a control visit on February 16, said the Grimaldi group.

Cabins, public areas are regularly disinfected, overbooking is impossible and no one is allowed in the garages during the crossing.

With 77 cabins (308 beds) and 409 seats, the boat can easily accommodate 239 passengers for a nine-hour tripstill assures the company.