The still-smoking Euroferry Olympia will be towed to a safer harbor to facilitate the work of firefighters and rescuers as hopes for finding 10 missing passengers started to fade on Tuesday.
According to the Shipping Ministry, the position of the ferry – to the north of the Ionian island of Corfu – is preventing the fire service from fully extinguishing the blaze that has already claimed one life.
The aim now is to tow the ferry to the port of Platygialos in Astakos on Greece’s western mainland coast. Relatives of the missing passengers who are waiting for news of their loved ones will also be provided with accommodation as the operation continues, the ministry said.
The fire on the Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia broke out on February 18 as it was sailing to the Italian port of Brindisi.
Some 280 passengers and crew were rescued from the ship, including a truck driver who was found on Sunday, the same day that one of his colleagues was found dead in the cab of his vehicle.
According to the fire service, the search for the other 10 missing passengers cannot continue until the blaze is brought more fully under control, something that is not possible in its current situation.
Ακολουθήστε το Lykavitos.gr στο Google News
και μάθετε πρώτοι όλες τις ειδήσεις
