It broke out at dawn just outside Igoumenitsa - Passengers are transported to Corfu from the port
An alarm has been sounded at the port since the morning as a fire broke out on a passenger ship with 288 passengers, outside Igoumenitsa. Specifically, the passenger ship "Euroferry Olympia" caught fire shortly after its departure from the port of Igoumenitsa in the early hours of Friday. According to the Coast Guard, the Italian-flagged ship, which had departed for Brindisi, is sailing outside the island of Ereikousa. The ship has 237 passengers and 51 crew members.
The ship was asked to leave
The fire spread quickly and the captain demanded that the ship be abandoned. The fire -for a reason unknown until now- broke out on deck 3 of the passenger-vehicle ferry, which is burning from end to end.
According to the latest information, 242 people have been disembarked so far in vessels of the port and the Italian Coast Guard, which are expected to be transferred to Corfu. Also, a passenger with respiratory problems is already transported by boat to Corfu.
The ship "Elyros", the frigate Hydra firefighting boats and other adjacent ships as well as three helicopters are rushing to the sea area, where the incident took place. Five Coast Guard vessels and one Italian Coast Guard vessel are already operating at the site.
The passengers are in good health
As stated by the Deputy Minister of Shipping, Costas Katsafados, speaking to SKAI, in addition to boats of the Greek Navy, there are also air forces. "The passengers are all well, they have boarded the lifeboats and their collection has begun," the deputy minister said, explaining that the positive thing is that there are good weather conditions that facilitate the work of rescuers.
In other statements he made to ERT, Mr. Katsafados said that the process of rescuing and counting them is being completed and they will probably be transferred to Corfu, noting that so far nothing worrying has been reported regarding the health condition of passengers and crew. Mr. Katsafados stressed that the good weather conditions in the area helped in the timely intervention of the Port authorities. The first priority is the safety of passengers and crew, he stressed.
The governor of the Ionian Islands, Rodi Kratsa, speaking on SKAI 100,3 radio, confirmed that according to her own information, everyone is in good health and that Corfu is preparing to receive passengers.
"We saw that the fire started in the garage"
"We woke up at 4.30 am and saw that the fire started in the garage and spread quickly. We are in the lifeboats, specifically in the one I am in, we are 140 people. "I'm afraid that not everyone has been saved because there were some who were sleeping in the garage," said Mr. Nasos, who was on the ship, in a telephone conversation with "Koinonia Ora MEGA".
With information from: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ, iefimerida.gr, protothema.gr, typosthes.gr