Berliner Boersenzeitung - 12 missing off Greece as ferry fire burns on

EUR -
AED 4.143599
AFN 78.4013
ALL 98.091313
AMD 434.241545
ANG 2.018997
AOA 1034.498647
ARS 1289.42254
AUD 1.75585
AWG 2.033461
AZN 1.920781
BAM 1.961274
BBD 2.276775
BDT 137.222989
BGN 1.955885
BHD 0.425281
BIF 3312.764359
BMD 1.128134
BND 1.461793
BOB 7.791816
BRL 6.395349
BSD 1.127557
BTN 96.451049
BWP 15.217607
BYN 3.690099
BYR 22111.418841
BZD 2.265142
CAD 1.570419
CDF 3209.540018
CHF 0.934535
CLF 0.027712
CLP 1063.44616
CNY 8.14501
CNH 8.141577
COP 4707.983606
CRC 570.559554
CUC 1.128134
CUP 29.895541
CVE 111.205789
CZK 24.892605
DJF 200.491643
DKK 7.459231
DOP 66.503535
DZD 149.827364
EGP 56.303232
ERN 16.922004
ETB 149.195971
FJD 2.55646
FKP 0.844744
GBP 0.843032
GEL 3.090948
GGP 0.844744
GHS 13.651434
GIP 0.844744
GMD 81.798846
GNF 9763.996168
GTQ 8.656159
GYD 235.921002
HKD 8.829552
HNL 29.331713
HRK 7.532433
HTG 147.609829
HUF 402.811512
IDR 18512.672612
ILS 3.981072
IMP 0.844744
INR 96.5164
IQD 1477.855035
IRR 47508.477221
ISK 144.885964
JEP 0.844744
JMD 179.300426
JOD 0.799863
JPY 163.031115
KES 146.095084
KGS 98.655122
KHR 4529.455917
KMF 493.556122
KPW 1015.273666
KRW 1572.302337
KWD 0.346359
KYD 0.939631
KZT 577.296348
LAK 24367.68595
LBP 101024.365367
LKR 339.286948
LRD 225.064356
LSL 20.312034
LTL 3.331085
LVL 0.682397
LYD 6.238351
MAD 10.439938
MDL 19.619933
MGA 5099.163661
MKD 61.540471
MMK 2368.354423
MNT 4034.654914
MOP 9.090753
MRU 44.730625
MUR 51.860133
MVR 17.440843
MWK 1958.440241
MXN 21.734904
MYR 4.849282
MZN 72.088204
NAD 20.216242
NGN 1802.430452
NIO 41.481311
NOK 11.57017
NPR 154.320708
NZD 1.904729
OMR 0.43432
PAB 1.127557
PEN 4.165635
PGK 4.588966
PHP 62.729848
PKR 316.723556
PLN 4.238003
PYG 9006.136073
QAR 4.107253
RON 5.069379
RSD 117.561339
RUB 90.966498
RWF 1600.821599
SAR 4.23107
SBD 9.4054
SCR 16.036503
SDG 677.443373
SEK 10.883184
SGD 1.461283
SHP 0.886536
SLE 25.604308
SLL 23656.398067
SOS 644.725918
SRD 41.346017
STD 23350.088124
SVC 9.866537
SYP 14667.953094
SZL 20.216178
THB 37.137898
TJS 11.580938
TMT 3.954108
TND 3.391187
TOP 2.642199
TRY 43.806219
TTD 7.654924
TWD 34.009726
TZS 3043.128721
UAH 46.738748
UGX 4119.534112
USD 1.128134
UYU 47.241852
UZS 14558.564384
VES 106.816119
VND 29297.629965
VUV 136.964431
WST 3.046393
XAF 657.798743
XAG 0.034087
XAU 0.000343
XCD 3.048837
XDR 0.819544
XOF 649.234928
XPF 119.331742
YER 275.148068
ZAR 20.223109
ZMK 10154.550756
ZMW 30.566582
ZWL 363.258564
  • CMSD

    0.0015

    22.17

    +0.01%

  • CMSC

    0.1000

    22.26

    +0.45%

  • SCS

    -0.1000

    10.25

    -0.98%

  • RBGPF

    3.9600

    66.96

    +5.91%

  • RYCEF

    0.0100

    10.92

    +0.09%

  • BCC

    -1.2700

    89.92

    -1.41%

  • NGG

    0.9900

    73.42

    +1.35%

  • RIO

    -0.1500

    62.24

    -0.24%

  • RELX

    -0.0400

    54.99

    -0.07%

  • BCE

    0.0900

    21.66

    +0.42%

  • AZN

    0.2300

    69.92

    +0.33%

  • JRI

    0.0300

    12.82

    +0.23%

  • BTI

    0.8600

    44.44

    +1.94%

  • GSK

    0.4400

    38.4

    +1.15%

  • VOD

    0.7500

    10.39

    +7.22%

  • BP

    -0.2000

    29.2

    -0.68%

12 missing off Greece as ferry fire burns on
12 missing off Greece as ferry fire burns on

12 missing off Greece as ferry fire burns on

At least 12 truck drivers remainedmissing on Saturday from an Italian-flagged ferry still ablaze on the Ionian Sea off Corfu, Greece's coastguard said.

Text size:

Patrol ships were combing the area off the holiday island hoping to locate survivors.

The blaze on the Euroferry Olympia prevented rescuers from boarding on Saturday morning, but a helicopter, a frigate, a fire-fighting vessel and six tug boats were operating in the area more than 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Corfu.

According to ERT television, the wind had rekindled the fire by Saturday noon.

A thick cloud of black smoke was billowing into sky and the heat on board had reached 500 degrees Celsius.

On Friday, 280 passengers were evacuated to Corfu after the blaze on the Olympia broke out en route from Greece to Italy.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Shipping minister Giannis Plakiotakis said a team from the Maritime Accident and Incident Investigation Service was in the area to launch an investigation.

ERT reported the vessel's captain and two engineers had on Saturday been brought before a prosecutor.

Plakiotakis added in an interview with Skai television that after the fire is extinguished the ferry was expected to be towed to safety in order to pump out fuel and water and avoid marine pollution.

The coastguard said all of the missing are truck drivers -- seven from Bulgaria, three from Greece, one from Turkey and one from Lithuania.

- Over-crowded cabins -

Truckers who were rescued from the vessel told Greece's public broadcaster some drivers preferred to sleep in their vehicles because the cabins were over-crowded.

According to the Kathimerini newspaper, since June 2017 the Syndicate of Greek Professional Truck Drivers had warned about the conditions on the Olympia as well Euroferry Egnazia, both belonging to Italy's Grimaldi group ferry and container operator.

In a letter to the Greek Marine Ministry they reported the air conditioning did not work in the cabins and there were not enough cabins for the number of passengers.

They had also complained that the ventilation in the garage did not work.

The 27-year-old ship's latest safety check was at Igoumenitsa on February 16, Grimaldi said.

According to the company, the ferry was officially carrying 239 passengers and 51 crew, as well as 153 trucks and trailers and 32 passenger vehicles.

But, raising concern for how many unofficial passengers could still be missing, the coastguard said two of the people rescued were not on the manifest.

Both were Afghans, the coastguard told AFP.

The Bulgarian foreign ministry said 127 of its nationals were on the passenger list, including 37 truck drivers.

Another 24 were from Turkey, the country's NTV station said, while ERT said 21 Greeks were aboard.

Among the rescued, nine people remained in hospital with breathing difficulties.

- 'Jumping in the sea' -

"Two Bulgarians were hospitalised, one had very low saturation (levels) and was intubated,” deputy foreign minister Velislava Petrova told a briefing Saturday.

Families of the missing started arriving in Corfu on Saturday accompanied by a psychologist provided by the Greek shipping ministry.

Rescuers who boarded the burning vessel halted work Friday evening because of the intense heat, dense smoke and darkness, Athens News Agency said.

One was taken to hospital with respiratory problems but released on Saturday, the fire brigade told AFP.

"We were waiting for four hours before the rescue came, we were in the fire, in the night, we felt only the fire underneath our feet," Fahri Ozgen, a rescued passenger, told AFP.

"250 people were screaming, shouting, some of them were jumping into the sea. Some of our friends are still missing, we don't know where they are."

Some passengers lost everything in the fire.

"We lost our money, we lost our passports, we lost all our administrative documents, I don't even have a shoe to wear on my foot. We can't make any phone call I can't phone Turkey," said trucker Ali Duran.

(B.Hartmann--BBZ)