Hundreds rescued from ferry fire near Greek island
18 February 2022, 08:04
The Euroferry Olympia was extensively damaged, but no-one was reported missing.
More than 280 people have been evacuated from a ferry in north-western Greece that caught fire overnight while heading to southern Italy.
At least one person was slightly injured during the evacuation, coast guard officials said. No-one was reported missing.
The pre-dawn fire broke out on Friday on the Italy-flagged Euroferry Olympia shortly after it left the port of Igoumenitsa in north-west Greece for the Italian port of Brindisi with 239 passengers and 51 crew members on board.
The ferry was traveling in the Ionian Sea near the small Greek island of Ereikousa, around nine miles north of the island of Corfu, when the fire started.
Images from local television channels of the ferry indicated the fire was extensive.
The rescued passengers were being transported to Corfu.
Six boats from Greece’s coast guard and navy participated in the rescue along with four helicopters, an Italian customs inspection boat and several passing vessels, senior coast guard official Nikos Lagadianos said.
