Hundreds of desperate passengers on a burning car ferry off Greece are
pleading to be saved as rescuers fight gale-force winds and high seas tying
to reach them.
So far, only about 150 of the nearly 500 passengers on board the Norman
Atlantic have made their way to safety. Many of those on board are using
cell phones to beg for help.
The ferry was 80 kilometers northwest of the island of Corfu Sunday when it
sent a distress signal after a fire started in the lower deck. The ferry was
sailing from Patras in western Greece to the eastern Italian city of Ancona.
It was not clear whether there are any casualties or whether any passengers
were in the water where cold winter temperatures would make survival
difficult.
Scores of passengers have been transferred to a rescue vessel and others
made their way to life boats.
Several ships in the area have rushed to the scene along with rescue
helicopters and a C-130 search-and-rescue support aircraft.
