Greece: a third body found on the burned Italian ferry


The search resumed on Wednesday while eight truck drivers are still missing.

A third body was found this Thursday, February 24 in the early morning on the Italian ferry, the victim of a violent fire seven days ago off the Greek island of Corfu, and eight people are still missing, announced the Greek Coast Guard.

Eight truck drivers are still missing on Thursday aboard the Euroferry Olympia, where searches resumed on Wednesday in the port of Astakos, on the west coast of Greece, where the ship was towed. The fire, which broke out at dawn on February 18 with nearly 300 people on board, has been extinguished since Wednesday evening.

In the holds of the boat, where television images showed charred trucks and cars, three lifeless bodies were found. The first deceased victim found on Sunday is a Greek driver. The other two bodies have not been identified at this stage. Among the 281 survivors – 230 passengers, including many Eastern European truckers and 51 crew members – are two Afghan migrants not registered on the passenger list, raising fears that other people could have boarded without being identified. Three truckers remained hospitalized in Corfu for respiratory problems: a Belarusian released alive by rescuers on Sunday, a Bulgarian and a Romanian.

The disaster was declared on February 18, ten nautical miles north of Corfu in the Ionian Sea, two hours after leaving the Greek port of Igoumenitsa towards Brindisi in Italy. The family of the deceased Greek driver has filed a complaint against the Italian company Grimaldi, owner of the ferry, “held responsible” for the fire, their lawyer said. The investigation will determine the origin of the fire. According to the company, the fire broke out in a hold reserved for vehicles. The ferry was carrying 153 commercial vehicles and 32 cars, according to the Grimaldi Group.



Source link -94