Ferry fire off Greece

At least 11 people were killed when a fire broke out on the Italian Ferry Norman Atlantic off the northwestern coast of Greece on Dec. 28.

The ferry, believed to be carrying 478 people, was sailing from Patras, Greece, to Ancona, Italy, when fire broke out on the car deck. Rescue efforts took more than 36 hours, as rescue boats struggled in high seas, wind and smoke to get passengers to safety. Helicopters were eventually brought in to assist the rescue effort.

At press time, Italian authorities had confirmed that 427 people were rescued, leaving possibly 51 unaccounted for, though the total number of passengers had not yet been confirmed.

On Dec. 30, two members of the boat towing the ferry to port were killed when a cable snapped and struck them.