One dead, hundreds stranded in ferry fire

Italian Navy tweeted photo of the rescue operation aboard the Norman Atlantic

DECEMBER 28, 2014—At least one person is reported dead and another three injured during a fire aboard a RoPax ferry adrift in the Adriatic Sea, according to reports from the Italian Coast Guard and the Italian Navy. The ferry was reportedly carrying more than 400 passengers and 55 crew on its service run from Patronas, Greece to Ancona, Italy, when a fire broke out on its car deck.

The 7,800-dwt RoPax ferry is the MS Norman Atlantic owned by Italy’s Visemar di Navigazione, according to Equasis.

The Italian Navy reported via Twitter that it had rescued 190 people, one body and 287 people remained on board.

The fire has been burning on the ship for more than 15 hours. The fire broke out 44 nautical miles north of Corfu. Choppy seas and high winds have hampered the rescue, according to reports from the BBC News.