Hopes dim of finding survivors in Greece ferry fire

CORFU, Greece: Smoke billowed on Tuesday from a ferry that caught fire off the Greek coast, as coastguards prepared to tow the vessel into port and hopes dwindled of finding more survivors after five days of searching.

At least one person was killed and three passengers are in hospital after fire ripped through Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia on Friday. Most of the passengers aboard the ship, north of the island of Corfu, were quickly evacuated but the fire has continued for days and 10 truck drivers remain missing.

The ferry is to be towed to "a safe port" in western Greece "to continue the operations with maximum security", the coastguard said. "The search and rescue possibilities on Euroferry Olympia in its current position have been exhausted," it added.

Images on ERT television showed charred vehicles in what remained of the ferry’s parking deck, as firefighters in masks scoured the wreckage. In the first confirmed fatality, the body of a 58-year-old Greek truck driver was recovered on Sunday.

A 21-year-old Belarussian truck driver emerged alive the same day. A hospital source said he was being treated for breathing difficulties, while a Bulgarian and a Romanian were also receiving medical care.