Rescue teams in Greece searched a burning ferry Saturday for 12 people believed to be missing after it caught fire in the Ionian Sea while en route to Italy, while passengers described a frightening evacuation from the ship.
After working all night to try to extinguish the blaze that broke out Friday, firefighting vessels surrounded the Euroferry Olympia, which was carrying more than 290 passengers and crew. The Greek coast guard and other boats evacuated about 280 of them to Corfu.
“When we got into the boats, I said ‘I escaped hell,’” truck driver Dimitris Karaolanidis told The Associated Press. A Greek coast guard spokeswoman told The Associated Press on Saturday afternoon that none of the 12 missing people had been found, although she said only small pockets of fire were active in the ferry.
The ship’s captain and two engineers were arrested Friday but were released the same day, authorities said.“We heard the alarm, we thought it was some kind of drill. But we saw through the portholes that people were running,” Karaolanidis told The AP. “You can’t think something at the time your family ... When I hit the deck, I saw smoke and children. Fortunately, they acted quickly.”
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