One injured in fire on ferry off Greece

ATHENS: A fire broke out Friday on an Italian-flagged ferry sailing through the Ionian Sea, injuring one crew member among the nearly 300 people on board, the Greek coastguard said.

The fire on the Euroferry Olympia, which was heading to Italy from the Greek port city of Igoumenitsa, broke out at 4.30am (0130 GMT). It was carrying 239 passengers and 51 crew on board as well as vehicles.

A Greek coastguard spokeswoman said it would take several hours to extinguish the fire. She did not confirm Greek media reports of people trapped on board.

There are fears there could be unknown passengers on board, such as migrant stowaways who frequently sneak onto ferries between Greece and Italy.

The injured crew member was 42 years old, a coastguard official told AFP. Television images showed the man, walking with difficulty and helped by firefighters.

Television images showed the ship, owned by Italy’s Grimaldi Lines, enveloped in flames which sent plumes of black smoke into the sky.