Ferry on fire, rescue operation underway for 466 people

A ferry with 466 people, 411 passengers and 55 crew members, sailing from Patras to Ancona, caught fire around six in the morning near the island of Corfu, and a rescue operation involving Italian and Albanian units is underway, reports the Patria News Agency.

At this moment, it is not known if there are any casualties, but numerous Greek passengers are reporting to local television stations that the situation is dramatic because not everyone fit into the lifeboats.

Although some media outlets stated that some of them had already jumped into the icy water, Reuters agency emphasizes that there is no confirmation that anyone has done so.

- Strong winds are hindering the operation, however, despite the adverse weather conditions, we are evacuating passengers. 130 of them have already been transferred to a cargo ship that was nearby - confirmed one of the rescuers to that agency.

At the moment when the distress call was sent from the ferry, and initial information suggests that the lower part of the deck caught fire for reasons unknown at this time, there were seven other ships in the vicinity. Several helicopters were also dispatched to assist.