Italian Ferry Fire Contained, Rescue Operations Underway

Naval rescue crews have been working overtime over the past 24 hours to rescue passengers from the Italian ferry that erupted in fire. According to the Italian Navy, 190 of the 478 passengers and crew members on board have been rescued via helicopter and transported to nearby merchant vessels.

The vessel Norman Atlantic was carrying 422 vacationing passengers, 56 crew members, and 222 vehicles. The Italian ferry erupted in fire stemmed from what is believed to be a mechanical failure in the ship’s car deck. A distress signal was immediately sent, and Italian and Greek coast guard members arrived on scene but had to delay rescue operations due to strong gale-force winds and massive tidal waves.

Nearby merchant ships also partook in the rescue efforts by lining up and forming a barrier around the ferry to protect it from towering waves.

So far, most of the fire – at least the ones visible for those looking outside in – has been distinguished, though the ship is still enveloped in heavy smoke.

Some of the rescued passengers described the chaotic scene when the fire broke out. According to one woman:

“They called first on women and children to be evacuated from the ship. We were at least four hours on the deck, in the cold and rain.”

At least one of the rescued passengers has died, and his wife was injured. There is no word yet on the cause of death and injury, though the Greek Coast Guard confirmed that the two – both Greek passengers – were found in a lifeboat.

Efforts are also on the way to try to tow the boat closer to shore, which would make the rescue operations more manageable.

The Italian ferry fire brings grim reminders of another ferry, the Costa Concordia, which partially sank in September 2013 after colliding with an underwater obstruction off the coast of the island Isola del Giglio. 32 passengers lost their lives, and the ship’s captain Francesco Schettino, was arrested for negligence, manslaughter, and abandoning ship when passengers were still on board.

[photo credit: Paul Smith]

Italian Ferry Fire Contained, Rescue Operations Underway