Five Dead in Ferry Disaster; Evacuation of Passengers Is Complete
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Senhan Bolelli/Anadolu Agency/Getty Image(NEW YORK) — Stranded passengers were evacuated from a ferry that went adrift in rough seas between Albania and Italy, a situation that left at least five people dead, authorities said.
Italian Premier Matteo Renzi says that the evacuation has been completed, and that only the vessel’s captain and four Italian sailors remain on board to assist in the operation.
More than 400 people were evacuated from the ferry.
A Greek Maritime authority spokesman confirmed that an Italian helicopter crew spotted four bodies in the water Monday. A fatality was reported Sunday after a man jumped from the ship.
A formal criminal investigation has been launched into the situation, a spokesperson on behalf of the prosecutor in Bari, Giuseppe Volpe, confirmed to ABC News.
The stranded passengers endured hours of gale force winds after fire broke out on the ship. Most were airlifted by helicopter to other merchant vessels sailing nearby, though a few were flown to hospitals in southern Italy to be treated for hypothermia.
A cargo ship carrying 49 survivors arrived in the Italian port of Bari, the first big group of victims to reach land. Weather has hampered rescue efforts, authorities said.
The ship, the Italian-flagged Norman Atlantic, ran into trouble when fire broke out on a car deck before dawn Sunday.
The Norman Atlantic, carrying almost 500 people had left the Greek port of Patras, sailing towards Ancona in Italy.
Even hours after officials said the fires on the vessel had been put out, thick dark smoke continued to billow out of the ship, complicating the rescue efforts filling the cabins of helicopters hovering over the ship trying to lift the passengers to safety.
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