Weather slows rescue of Adriatic Sea ferry

Hundreds of passengers and crew endured a night of smoke, frigid temperatures and gale-force winds as they waited to be evacuated from a burning ferry adrift early Monday in rough seas between Italy and Albania. At least one person died and two were injured in the risky rescue operation.

The Italian coast guard said 201 of the 478 people on the ferry, sailing from the Greek port of Patras to Ancona in Italy, had been evacuated by early Monday. 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.

"It will be a very difficult night. A night in which we hope we will be able to rescue all on board," Greek Merchant Marine Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said in Athens.

He said 10 merchant ships were in the area assisting rescue efforts, and that those who had already taken on dozens of passengers from the stricken ferry would remain in the area until the operation was over. Only then would it be determined where they would go, Varvitsiotis said.

Nevertheless, officials in the Adriatic port of Bari expected the first large group to arrive early Monday — some 49 people. They were initially expected in Brindisi down the coast, but rough seas forced a change of plans, officials said.

Officials said 268 passengers were Greek, while a foreign ministry official said there were also passengers from other countries including Germany, Italy, Austria, Turkey, France and the Netherlands. Many appeared to be truck drivers.

The fire broke out in the lower deck garage of the vessel but there were differing accounts of when it started. Initial reports said the fire began at around 6.00 a.m. but Italian officials put the time at 4.30 a.m. Sunday.

Coastguard officials said the Norman Atlantic, which was also carrying more than 200 vehicles, was 44 nautical miles northwest of the island of Corfu when it radioed for help. It had been traveling from Patras in western Greece to the Italian city of Ancona.

An official said 150 people had managed to get off the ship aboard a rescue boat early on Sunday in the day. Terrified passengers told how they had to move higher and higher in the ship to escape the flames.

"We went to the deck where there were life boats, but at some point we felt the floor burning and we went higher up to the heliport," Rania Fireou told Greek television by phone before the airlifts began.

"There are many children and elderly people aboard," she said. "We have gathered all together and we are trying to warm ourselves."

A Greek Defense Ministry official said two Italian and two Greek Super Puma helicopters were deployed, with each air transfer taking around 15 minutes as the pairs of passengers were bundled into a rescue basket and winched up from the vessel.

Greek coastguard spokesman Nikos Lagkadianos said the heavy rain that was hampering the rescue had helped contain the fire.  Varvitsiotis said the bad weather, with winds of up to 55 miles per hour earlier, made the operation extremely difficult.

Flames that had been visible were extinguished by about 8:30 p.m. Sunday night but dense smoke continued to envelope the ship. The Italian Coast Guard said the smoke was probably being fueled by some hotspots inside the ship.

An Italian Air Force helicopter pilot said the smoke was invading the helicopter cabin, making rescue even more challenging.

"With the wind, smoke entered into the helicopter cabin, acrid smoke," Maj. Antonio Laneve told Italian state TV. Some of those they were trying to rescue were very frightened of being hoisted up by helicopter given the adverse weather, he said

Nine of those evacuated were taken to the Italian town of Lecce, authorities said. Of those, three children and a pregnant woman were treated for hypothermia in Lecce hospital. Dr. Raffaele Montinaro said the children were in "excellent" condition, and emergency room doctor, Antonio Palumbo, said the mother's condition was also good.

A local convent was housing survivors who were released from the hospital.

The Italian Navy said the man who died and his injured wife were transported by helicopter to Brindisi. It was unclear how the death and injury occurred, but the Greek Coast Guard said the pair — both Greek passengers — were found in a lifeboat rescue chute.

The second injury was to a member of the Italian military involved in the rescue operation, Coast Guard Admiral Giovanni Pettorino said.

The Norman Atlantic is a 26,900-ton, roll-on roll-off ferry chartered by Greek ferry company ANEK. According to marine traffic data, it was built in 2009 and previously operated in Italy. ANEK said in a statement it was cooperating with rescue authorities.

The ferry was last inspected by the Patras Port Authority on Dec. 19 and six "deficiencies" were found, but none were so grave as to keep it in port, according to the report on the European Maritime Safety Agency's website.

The deficiencies involved a "malfunctioning" fire door as well as "missing" emergency lighting and batteries and defective "watertight doors."

Wire services