A fire started from the garage of the ship has turned the Norman Atlantic ferry service between Greece and Italy in an inferno of fire and smoke: after 20 hours was recovered a victim, the ship is still on fire and on board are about 287 people.
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“We’ll burn like rats, we are in danger and do not know how we will resist” is the dramatic story of who is still on the deck of the ship.
The nightmare begins at 4:30 am about twenty miles off the coast of ‘ Albania: the ferry, owned ‘the company’ armatrice Visemar navigation, had departed from Patras and, after a stop in Igoumenitsa, was expected to Ancona at 17.
The Norman Atlantic was chartered by the company Greek Anek Lines to replace the ship Ellenic Spirit, currently in service: the contract would have expired in the middle ‘in January.
What has sparked the flames will be investigations to clarify; perhaps a short circuit, possibly a problem with one of the 128 trucks in the garage, some loads of oil.
According to some truckers the ferry was overloaded and the “top heavy vehicles was friction with the ceiling garage, that can be started from a spark is there. “
It will be ‘always the investigation to clarify whether there were deficiencies to fire doors: inspection carried out 10 days ago by the International ‘Paris Mou’ had shown a “failure” of the structures that need to prevent a fire from spreading.
But the owner of the ship, Carlo Visentini, denies: “the problem was but it was immediately solved. The ferry was fully functioning. “
The fact is that the fire has spread very quickly reaching the upper decks. The ferry immediately became unmanageable and the commander said abandonment.
Despite this edge managed to drop a single lifeboat, which were put in unless forty people.
The crew would also be able to contain the fire to the bridge 5, but the high temperatures and above the thick smoke are likely to transform the ferry in a steel coffin for hundreds of people.
“We are on the bridge, we are dying of cold and suffocate from the smoke, the fire is spreading more and more, the floors are hot and I do not know if we’ll make it,” said Yorgos Stiliaras, one of the passengers on board the Greek.
“The shoes are merging and can not take away – has added another – the weather is too bad, there is a lot of smoke and we have a lot of difficulty ‘to breathe, can not see anything.”
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who returned at Palazzo Chigi, he heard two times the greek prime minister Samaras and received the Foreign Minister Gentiloni. “We are following the story – tweeted – with the maximum involvement of our Navy.”
Shortly after 22 in a new tweet, also referred to the clash between mercantile front of the Adriatic coast, says “Thanks to those who working for hours between Ravenna and #normanatlantic. Italy is proud of your tenacity! Sara ‘a long night: first thank you! “.
On the ferry there are 478 people, including 422 passengers and 56 members crew. 44 are Italians – including the commander Argilio Giacomazzi – 54 Turks, 22 Albanians, 18 Germans.
And then French, Swiss, Russians, Bulgarians, Syrians, Afghans and especially the Greeks, who are almost half ‘to those found on the ferry.
It is the only greek victim when ascertained: it is Georgios Doulis, a man who died while trying to reach a lifeboat.
Her body was already ‘recovered and transferred to a patrol boat in Brindisi where they were taken even more seriously wounded four, two who were on board the ship, a Navy Rescue swimmer and a soldier of the Harbour.
With the helicopters were transferred to Italy also several children and women assisted by doctors and taken to hospital with symptoms of hypothermia, but none of them are in danger of life.
Shortly after 22 rescuers had rescued 190 people, while 287 are still on board. To make it even more difficult relief efforts, coordinated by Italy, even the extreme weather conditions.
All morning the sea force 7-8 waves raised by more than five meters, making it impossible to approach maneuver the burning ship.
According to some witnesses also the ferry would already ‘inclined and therefore would be even more difficult to put to sea rescue vehicles.
In the afternoon the conditions are slightly improved but the wind of 35-40 knots and visibility ‘poor forced rescuers to operate only with helicopters.
The aircraft of the Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard Italian, for all days have thus been commuting between the ferry and the ships in the area: the Italian, Greek and Albanian ones and merchant hijacked in the area.
The arrival of darkness forced to a further slowdown of operations also if in the late afternoon one of the tugs departed from Brindisi, after hours of trying, finally managed to connect with the ferry, which is located about 13 miles of the coast of Vlora: putting the bow to the wind will be ‘easier to stabilize it and push the smoke aft, in order to make faster transhipment operations.
But the rescuers know that it is a race against time: the conditions of passengers and crew, who are open decks of the ship and are weary and tired, worse by the hour.
And if you are unable to extinguish the fire finally, no one can be certain that the vessel remains afloat long enough to allow you to evacuate everyone.
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