"211 people have been saved, 267 are still on board," the Italian Navy said on its official Twitter page.
#soccorsoNormanAtlantic 221 persone recuperate, altre 257 da recuperare. Nave San Giorgio coordina le operazioni in area.
— Marina Militare (@ItalianNavy) December 29, 2014
The Norman Atlantic ferry, which caught ablaze in the Ionian Sea, has been taken under tow, with the fire on board partially under control, the Greek shipping ministry reported on Sunday.
The towing rope, used by the Italian ship Marietta Barretta to tow the burning Norman Atlantic ferry, has broken, the website of the Il Messaggero newspaper reported.
The government rescue team is now trying to reattach the ship to one of the four tugs, which are close to the Norman Atlantic. When the tow rope is reattached, the ferry is likely to be moved to the Italian port of Brindisi.
Lines of ambulances arrived at Brindisi port as merchant ship to dock here within mins with #NormanAtlantic survivors pic.twitter.com/ti8OMglnE9
— Andrea Rosa (@ndrearosa) December 28, 2014
Earlier, the Greek Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias reported that the Norman Atlantic angled down 7 degrees. At the same time, a representative of the ANEK company, chartering the ferry, said to the Skai Greek TV channel, that angle of the heel was not dangerous.
BREAKING: 201 people plucked from burning #NormanAtlantic ferry off Greece as helicopters work through night, Italian Coast Guard says.
— CNN International (@cnni) December 29, 2014
"The fire has been partially taken under control and the ferry is towed, although with some difficulties," the agency coordinating the rescue operation from the Greek side reported. The operation has been complicated by bad weather conditions.
The Greek authorities have also reported that it will be decided in the nearest future how to proceed with the operation. "The center of the rescue operation in Rome will make the final decision on whether to conduct a mass evacuation of the ferry from the sea," said the Greek ministry.
The fire on the ferry, which was travelling from Greece to Italy, broke out on early Sunday morning. The fire started in a garage unit abord the ship. About 470 people were on board at the time the fire started, including more than 410 passengers.
