A fire broke out Friday on an Italian-flagged ferry ship sailing through the Mediterranean’s Ionian Sea with 239 passengers and 51 crew onboard. The fire on the Euroferry Olympia liner, owned by the Italian company Grimaldi, broke out at 4:12 local time on deck number three, according to the company.
“The ship’s crew immediately intervened to put out the fire with onboard equipment. Meanwhile, the master and the group’s staff, through the ’emergency response team’, promptly notified the incident to the competent Italian and Greek authorities and took all necessary measures to manage the accident in the best possible way.
“For the safety of the people on board, the Master decided that everyone should abandon the ship.”
All passengers and crew members were believed to have disembarked safely at the port in Corfu by mid-day although authorities were still looking for two people trapped in the garage part of the ship, according to the Greek press agency.
Only one person, a 42-year-old crew member, has so far been reported injured and been transferred to nearby Corfu by a coastguard patrol boat before being hospitalized “as a precaution”, the director of the Corfu hospital, Leonidas Roumbatis, has confirmed.
According to ERT footage, the man was walking with difficulty, supported by firefighters when he arrived at the port in Corfu. He was suffering from breathing problems, according to initial media reports.
Earlier, Secretary of State for the Merchant Navy Kostas Katsafados, had told Greek radio station Skai that all passengers were safe and on rescue boats.
The Greek coastguards said in a statement on Friday morning that it dispatched four patrol boats, which were assisted by two tug boats, five other boats including one from the Italian Police and two private fishing vessels, as well as three helicopters.
The cause of the fire is not yet known and an investigation has begun.
A passenger said that they “were sleeping when we were alerted that there was a fire.”
“We got dressed in a second and went on deck where we were given life jackets,” the truck driver, who was contacted by phone by ERT, said.
On the bridge, “it was panic, there was a lot of smoke coming out of the garage, the atmosphere was suffocating,” he added.
The ferry’s captain immediately asked the passengers to leave the boat, while patrol boats, coastguard tugs and firefighters were dispatched from Corfu, a statement said.
Grimaldi also reported that the ship was also carrying 153 commercial vehicles (trucks and trailers), as well as 32 passenger vehicles.
“No fuel spill has been detected at sea, nor does the stability of the ship appear to be compromised,” it said, adding that “tugboats have been hired and are heading towards the Euroferry Olympia to give prompt support and manage the emergency.”
“The top management of the Grimaldi Group expresses its regret for the incident and will fully cooperate with the competent authorities to shed light on the incident,” it said.
