Twelve people are still missing after a fire on a ferry in the Ionian Sea en route from Greece to Italy. Rescuers have been patrolling the Karfu Island area since Saturday morning in the hope of rescuing them alive. The news agency AFP quoted the Greek Coast Guard as saying.
The Italian flag-carrying ferry ‘Euroferry Olympia’ caught fire in the Ionian Sea on Friday. Rescuers were later able to rescue 26 passengers and take them to Karfu Island, but 12 are still missing.
According to the Greek Coast Guard, all those missing are truck drivers. Nine of them are Bulgarians and three are Greeks. Greek authorities say the cause of the fire is not yet known.
Greek state media have broadcast the interviews of the truck drivers rescued from the ship today. The truck drivers said that many truck drivers were sleeping in their cars as there was a lot of crowd in the cabin of the ferry.
Grimaldi Lines is the proprietor of the ferry. The company said it had 239 passengers and 53 crew on board. There were 153 trucks and lorries and 32 passenger vehicles. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. The Coast Guard said two of the rescued were unregistered passengers. Both are Afghan nationals.
Bulgaria’s foreign ministry said the ferry’s passengers included 126 nationals. Of these, 36 are truck drivers. According to the Turkish media NTV, 24 of the passengers were Turkish nationals. And according to Greek state media (ERT), there were 21 Greeks on board the ferry.
The ERT said 10 of the rescued had been taken to hospital. They were having difficulty breathing and were injured.
Hurricane Younis is set to hit the UK coast. The country’s meteorological department said the storm could hit at 90 mph on Friday, local time. High alerts have already been issued in London and the east and south-east of England. Millions of people have been advised not to leave their homes. News from the BBC.
Hurricane Younis is set to hit the UK a week after Hurricane Doodle hit. The country has already issued several weather warnings. Extreme levels of flood danger were announced in the coastal areas of Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and South Wales. The epicenter was reported below the ground, however; no tsunami alert was issued. The warning will be in force from 10 am to 3 pm local time on Friday. The UK Meteorological Department has issued a high alert. This means that the roof of the house can be blown away by the cyclone, the plants can be uprooted and the power supply can be cut off. This warning further hints that the wreckage could be blown into the air and that their injuries could be fatal.
Snow warnings have been issued for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England. And in the Midlands, northeast England, southeast England, Wales and parts of the West Midlands, stormy yellow warnings have been issued.
Residents of different areas have been asked to keep their doors and windows closed and not to drive out of the garage to avoid storm damage. Authorities also advised to stay away from trees and walls if possible.
Hundreds of schools in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Bristol were closed today due to strong winds. Almost all councils in Wales have announced that their schools will be closed on Friday. Some Wales university campuses may also be closed on this day.
The BBC reports that Younis is considered to be the strongest storm to hit the UK in the last three decades.