A dozen missing after ferry fire off coast of Greece

A dozen people are still considered missing after a ferry fire broke out on Friday in the Ionian Sea, The Associated Press reported.

Greek rescuers on Saturday were searching the burning ferry for the dozen people whose whereabouts still remained unknown, though by the afternoon a spokeswoman for the Greek coast guard told the AP that officials had no luck finding the missing people. 

She indicated that the ferry was only dealing with a small percentage of flames that were leftover since the blaze started yesterday. 

Roughly 280 people were able to be safely evacuated from Euroferry Olympia, the AP noted. 

The ferry was carrying 32 cars and 153 trucks, and the fire broke out near where the trucks and cars had been parked on the ferry, according to the boat’s operator. After leaving the port of Igoumenitsa, the fire started three hours later.

A Greek prosecutor has since ordered an investigation into fire, according to the news outlet.

Several truck drivers who spoke to the AP recounted the event as “tragic” and escaping “hell.”

“The moments were tragic. It was difficult, guys. Very difficult,” Dimitris Karavarnitis, one truck driver, told the newswire. “Thankfully the guys responded quickly and … we will return to our families. That’s what matters.”

“When we got into the boats, I said ‘I escaped hell,’” Dimitris Karaolanidis, another truck driver, said to the AP.

“We heard the alarm, we thought it was some kind of drill. But we saw through the portholes that people were running,” Karaolanidis added.  “You can’t think something at the time [other than] your family … When I hit the deck, I saw smoke and children. Fortunately, [the crew] acted quickly.”