Hundreds of passengers are awaiting rescue from the Italian ferry Norman Atlantic after a fire erupted, killing one of the passengers and disabling the boat, according to BBC News.
Italian and Greek authorities were airlifting stranded passengers from the middle of the Adriatic Sea on Sunday night, BBC News reported. So far, 190 people have been removed to safety while another 287 await rescue. There were 478 passengers total.
The Italian navy said two Italian air force helicopters, one Greek Superpuma helicopter and an Italian plane were taking part in the rescue, the Associated Press reported.
The fire broke out on the ferry's lower deck early Sunday morning, but the Italian coastguard said the fire on board had been "tamed" and the ship was being stabilized by cables attached to a tug in order to assist rescue operations, according to BBC News.
The airlifts would continue while the boat was being towed towards port, and rescue workers would try to get closer by boat to bring people off if the bad weather conditions got better and allowed for such action, BBC News reported.
Earlier, Greek coastguard spokesman Nikos Lagkadianos said the heavy rain that was hampering the rescue had helped contain the fire although the ship was still burning, according to the AP.
Greek Merchant Marine Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said the rescue efforts are "one of the most complex search and rescue operations we have dealt with in recent years," the AP reported.
