UPDATE: Death toll of Norman Atlantic rises to 10, dozens ‘unaccounted for’


The number of victims following the fire on the Italian-flagged ferryNorman Atlantic that caught fire 44 nm northwest of the island of Corfu has risen to 10. There are many discrepancies in the number of passengers on board Norman Atlantic, as both Greek and Italian authorities have stated different numbers, amid possible inaccuracies in the manifest list of the ship owner.
The rescue operation of over 400 the people onboard ended on Monday afternoon but the exact number was disputed.
Totally 432 people, in this number crew members and passengers of the burning Norman Atlantic were rescued, said Nikos Lagadianos, spokesperson of the Greek Coast Guard, citing the Italian authorities.
Contrary to this number, Maurizio Lupi, the Italian transport minister, said in a press conference in Rome that only 427 people had been the rescued people.
The company owner of Norman Atlantic initially reported 478 people onboard but it was later stated an unknown number of illegal immigrants in the luggage compartment of a truck on board.
Maurizio Lupi stated is is “absolutely premature” to say if the passengers are missing or not, as there might have been some inaccuracy in the manifest list of the ship owner.
Death toll of Norman Atlantic rises to 10, dozens unaccounted for
Death toll of Norman Atlantic rises to 10, dozens unaccounted for
Death toll of the burning ferry ship Norman Atlantic rises to 10
The fire on Norman Atlantic broke out on the ferry at around UTC 4:00 on Sunday, 44 nm northwest of the island of Corfu.
"We are outside, we are very cold, the ship is full of smoke, the boat is still burning, the floors are boiling, underneath the cabins it must be burning since 5 o'clock, the boats that came are gone, and we are here. They cannot take us," one of the passengers told Greek TV station Mega.
Lupi said that the captain of Norman Atlantic abandon the burning ferry only after over 50 crew members and all passengers were rescued on Monday. He also added that 234 of the rescued passengers were Greeks, 22 Albanians, 54 Turks, 22 Italians and 4 Bulgarians.
Investigation is being conducted to determine the cause of the fire and options for arson are also being considered.

Ferry fire blazes through ship as coastguard attempt rescue

Passengers get rescued from blazing ferry





norman atlantic ferry fire
The car ferry Norman Atlantic is pictured on the way to Brindisi harbour after it caught fire in waters off Greece December 29, 2014 in this handout photo provided by Marina Militare via Reuters
reuters logoBy Benet Koleka
TIRANA, Dec 30 (Reuters) – Two Albanian seamen were killed during an operation to salvage a multideck car ferry that caught fire off Greece’s Adriatic Coast when a cable connecting their boat to the ferry snapped and hit them, an Albanian port authority official said on Tuesday.
The deaths add to a toll of 10 confirmed victims of the disaster, but there was continuing uncertainty over how many might still be unaccounted for on the smoldering hulk of the Norman Atlantic.
More than 400 people airlifted from the vessel in a 36-hour rescue operation by Italian and Greek helicopters.
The aftermath of the rescue has been marked by confusion over the number of victims, with dozens of names on the ship’s manifest unaccounted for and no clarity over whether they had drowned or were not on board in the first place.
With the ferry now fully evacuated, the Italian navy has said 427 people had been rescued, leaving the total accounted for well short of the 478 originally thought to be on board.
The two Albanian seamen killed on Tuesday were part of an eight-strong crew which had been towing the gutted ferry overnight. A cable connecting their tugboat to the wreck broke under high tension and hit the two men.
“One man died on the spot when one cable broke after it got stuck in the propeller. The other died on board a few minutes ago when being assisted by a helicopter medical team,” a port authority official in Vlore told Reuters.
The Italian navy tweeted: “during towing, the cable broke and hit two Albanian civilian seamen,” .
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was due in Tirana on Tuesday for a visit which was planned before the incident.
Italian and Albanian magistrates have ordered the Italian-flagged ferry, which was chartered by Greek ferry operator Anek Lines, to be seized to investigate the cause of the fire.
Italy’s Transport Ministry said on Monday Italy and Albania were deciding together where the vessel should be towed.
Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi refused on Monday to confirm a Greek report saying 38 people were still missing, saying to do so would be premature.
Some of those rescued were not on the ship’s original manifest, and Lupi said Italian authorities are looking for a definitive list of passengers to cross-check it with the names of the survivors, adding illegal migrants may have been on board. (Reporting by Benet Koleka, writing by Isla Binnie; editing by Ralph Boulton)
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