Greek firefighters and coastguards resumed their "
difficult
" operations on Monday February 21 in search of possible survivors aboard the burning Italian ferry, where a driver died and ten passengers were missing off Corfu. , authorities said.
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Thick black smoke still escapes from the Euroferry Olympia of the Italian company Grimaldi, more than 72 hours after the start of the disaster on board the ship from which 281 people were rescued.
"
It's a very difficult operation
" because of the heavy smoke and "
considerable thermal pressure
," a spokeswoman for the fire department told AFP.
About 40 firefighters are taking part on Monday, February 21 in operations to extinguish the fire and search for the missing some 3 km from the island of Corfu, assisted by tugs and coastguard boats, she said.
Most of the passengers were immediately rescued on Friday, one of them, a 21-year-old Belarusian driver, having been rescued on Sunday after fifty hours remained a prisoner of the ferry.
But the body of a 58-year-old Greek truck driver was found on Sunday in a charred truck in the holds of the boat: this is the first deceased victim recorded.
Ten drivers are missing
The Euroferry Olympia caught fire at dawn on Friday, en route to the Italian port of Brindisi, two hours after leaving the Greek port of Igoumenitsa, with 290 people - including 51 crew members - registered on board.
So far, 279 people listed on the manifesto have been rescued, as well as two illegal Afghan migrants, raising fears that other passengers may have boarded without being counted.
Ten drivers are still missing: seven Bulgarians, two Greeks and a Turk, according to the authorities.
According to several testimonies, many truckers prefer to sleep in their trucks during the night crossing between Greece and Italy, because of the unsuitable conditions in the cabins, according to the Greek truckers' union.
“
We have a lot of complaints about the living conditions of truck drivers
” on board the ferries, said union president Akis Dermatis.
"
They've been saying it for years, they can't all be crazy or liars
," he said on public television ERT.
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The Grimaldi company rejects these accusations, ensuring that its boats, their cabins and their public spaces are "
regularly disinfected
" and that no one is allowed in the garages during the crossing.
In accordance with international legislation, the ferry, built in 1995, had successfully passed a control visit on February 16, said the Italian group.
With “
77 cabins (308 beds) and 409 seats, the boat can easily accommodate 279 passengers for a nine-hour trip
,” according to a press release from Grimaldi, published on Sunday.
