After more than 36 hours of horrifying conditions, the captain of the Norman Atlantic ferry was the last survivor to be rescued. Unfortunately, the tragedy claimed the lives of ten people including one man who died after trying desperately to get off of the burning ship.
Despite heavy gale winds and thick black smoke covering the ship, rescuers manage to save more than 400 passengers and crew of the ferry although reports are still unclear if there are missing people. Further search and rescue operations are ongoing to recover any missing passenger on board the ship. According to the ferry company, the ferry left the Greek city of Patras with 478 people on board. The ship was en route to Ancona, Italy when it was engulfed in flames near the Albanian coastal city of Vlore.
Misunderstanding with regards to official port documents made the search and rescue efforts very difficult because rescuers are still unsure whether all the passengers and the crew have all been accounted for or whether there are still those who were left inside the ferry. According to Italy's Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi, a total of 427 people have been accounted, unfortunately there is no exact figure whether how many people were really on board when the tragedy happened. The ferry's captain, Argilio Giacomazzi was the last to be rescued and finally gave full control of the derelict ship to the Italian Navy on Monday.
Investigators are still unsure whether what caused the fire, however they have pointed out that the fire came from the ferry's car deck. Italian prosecutors have already opened up an investigation and said that they will not hesitate to impose criminal charges to those responsible of the tragedy. Investigators are currently looking for evidence whether the fire was instigated by a saboteur or whether negligence on part of the ferry's crew may have caused the fire.
