by Maria Spiliopoulou
ATHENS, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- More than a dozen passengers from the hundreds on board an Italian- flagged ferry which has been stranded off the Greek island of Corfu since early Sunday morning with a fire still blazing in lower decks have been airlifted to safety by two Italian helicopters assisted by a Greek one, the Greek Coast Guard announced.
About 100 passengers have also been safely transferred on three nearby vessels with life boats, Greek officials said. There were no reports of injuries or people missing.
A total of 478 people -- 422 passengers and a 56 member crew-- were on board the "Norman Atlantic" when the fire broke out under still unclear circumstances at the ship's garage before spreading to other parts, according to Greek authorities and a laconic press release issued by the Greek managing shipping firm ANEK Lines which had chartered it from an Italian company.
The majority of people on board were Greek nationals, according to the Greek Shipping Ministry (234 passengers and 34 crew members). There was no official information on the nationalities of other passengers on board rather that the captain of "Norman Atlantic" and the rest of the crew members were Italians.
The ferry was sailing at about 30 nautical miles off Corfu in international waters when it sent out a distress signal. It had departed from the port of Patras at Peloponnese peninsula and was en route to Ancona, Italy via the port of Igoumenitsa in western Greece.
Speaking to media outside the Greek Shipping Ministry at Piraeus port as an international wide rescue operation was continuing, Nikos Lagadianos, the Greek Coast Guard's spokesman said that Greek officials were notified by their Italian counterparts who were coordinating the operation that at least 14 passengers, among them children, have been airlifted to Italy.
Greek journalist Angelos Moschovas who happened to be among passengers of the Europa cruise vessel, which had rushed to the area along a dozen other rescue vessels from Italy and Greece, confirmed that passengers were being airlifted amidst bad weather conditions which make more difficult rescue efforts.
Winds of up to nine on the Beaufort scale were blowing in the area while heavy rainfall was continuing.
About 100 passengers have also been safely transferred on the "Spirit of Piraeus" and other two vessels with life boats, Lagadianos said, noting that a tug boat was in addition assisting efforts to put the fire under control.
A dozen vessels from Italy and Greece have been deployed in the area assisted by helicopters. Albanian authorities have also offered assistance, as the "Norman Atlantic" was drifting towards the Albanian shores.
Greek passengers who managed to contact relatives and Greek television channels earlier described dramatic moments with panicked people.
Greek Shipping Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis spoke about a "very complex operation" due to the adverse weather conditions, noting that the big number of forces deployed increased hopes of a successful result.
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