Four bodies recovered from burning Greek ferry as 140 still await rescue

Four bodies have been recovered from a burning ferry off the coast of Corfu, Greek authorities have said. A Greek passenger was already known to have died after falling into the water during the rescue operation, which is being carried out amid stormy seas and winds of up to 70kph. At least 329 people have already been rescued from the Norman Atlantic car ferry, leaving about 140 still on board.

Notwithstanding the weather and the darkness, which is another factor, we persisted throughout the entire night.

Italian coast guard Admiral Giovanni Pettorino

The 422 passengers and 56 crew members were forced to spend hours being lashed by rain, hail and high winds as they huddled on the top deck while trying to avoid the flames and smoke coming from one of the car decks. Italy has opened a criminal investigation into the disaster. It will focus on how the fire started and how it was able to spread. The Italian owner of the ferry has reportedly said the boat was in full working order and had passed technical tests - including on its fire doors - as recently as December 19.

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