Boat from Greece to Italy on fire, 466 people on board
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An international rescue effort was under way in high winds after a car ferry carrying 466 passengers and crew caught fire while sailing from Greece to Italy and its captain ordered its evacuation, officials said on Sunday.
Passengers who telephoned Greek television stations gave dramatic accounts of conditions on the ship, which caught fire just before 6.00 am local time (0400 GMT) while travelling from Patras in western Greece to the eastern Italian city of Ancona.
“They tried to lower some boats, but not all of us could get in. There is no co-ordination,” one said. “It’s dark, the bottom of the vessel is on fire. We are on the bridge, we can see a boat approaching ... we opened some boxes and got some life vests. We are trying to save ourselves.”
