The Italian car ferry burned on the open sea for several days – now it has been brought to a Greek container port, where the emergency work and the search for missing people should continue.
ATHENS – The still-smoldering Italian car ferry “Euroferry Olympia” arrived at the container port of the western Greek coastal city of Astakos on Wednesday.
Tugboats pulled the ship there after the Greek Ministry of Maritime Affairs announced on Tuesday that the search for ten missing passengers had ended. The work on the open sea is too difficult for the rescue workers because the ship is full of toxic gases and is still very hot in places, it said. After four days there is hardly any hope of survivors.
Continued smoke development
The container port of the small town of Astakos was chosen because the surrounding area is largely uninhabited. Smoke was still pouring out of the ship upon arrival due to the smoldering source of the fire. As soon as the “Euroferry Olympia” is safely moored, the ship’s tailgate is to be opened so that the toxic gases can escape. The fuel should also be pumped out as quickly as possible.
Then the search for the missing should continue. These are seven Bulgarians, two Greeks and one Turk, all truck drivers, who are believed to have spent the night in their vehicles on the parking decks and were trapped there by the flames.
The fire on the “Euroferry Olympia” broke out on Friday night for previously unknown reasons. 280 people could be rescued within hours. However, there was little hope for passengers on the lower parking decks. dpa
