Italy: 98 Still Unaccounted for From Fire-Ravaged Ferry

Stormy weather in the Adriatic Sea thwarted efforts Wednesday to tow a fire-ravaged ferry to Italy so authorities can investigate the blaze that killed at least 11 people and search the ship for more possible dead.

Ninety-eight people were still unaccounted for Wednesday after a pre-dawn fire raced through the Norman Atlantic ferry on Sunday, Bari prosecutor Giuseppe Volpe was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency.

It’s not clear if those people ever boarded the ferry — which left Greece on Saturday bound for Italy — if they were rescued, or if they died in the fire or in the sea. Hundreds were rescued in the maritime disaster, but the exact number of ferry survivors and how many were onboard to begin with are still not known. Volpe said he hoped that Greek authorities would be able to say many people had been rescued by various ships and brought to Greece.

Volpe said he hoped that Greek authorities would be able to say many people had been rescued by various ships and brought to Greece. Greece’s coast guard later said nine Greeks were still missing but did not resolve other questions.

This article appeared in print on page 2 of the January 1st, 2015 edition of Hamodia.