The Italian-flagged ship carrying 237 passengers and 51 crew caught fire this morning in the Ionian Sea during a voyage between the Greek port of Igomenitsa (northwest) and Brindisi (eastern Italy).
According to preliminary information, no casualties have been reported so far.
The same source said that the captain of the ship “Euroferry Olympia” told the passengers to leave the boat and 3 patrol boats and 3 Coast Guard trawlers were sent to the shipyard.
The Coast Guard’s media office official told AFP that the accident happened at about 04:30 (0:30 GMT) on the north coast of the Greek island of Gorbau between Greece and Albania.
The Greek Coast Guard said the cause of the fire was unknown and an investigation had been launched.
“All passengers are safe and have been transferred to lifeboats,” Costas Katsavados, the Greek secretary of state for the Merchant Navy, told Greek private radio station Sky.
For its part, the Greek Coast Guard, which launched the relief operation, ensured that the passengers of the “Euroferry Olympia” were transferred to rescue boats that would take them to the nearby island of Corfu.
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