Aerial View of Stricken Norman Atlantic Ferry

Hundreds of passengers were trapped on a burning car ferry off Greece on Sunday, December 28, as storm conditions in the Adriatic hampered rescue efforts to evacuate the Italian-registered vessel. The Norman Atlantic, carrying around 500 passengers, was plying between Ancona in east Italy and Igoumenitsa, Greece, when it radioed for help after fire broke out on its lower deck, 44 nautical miles northwest off the Greek island of Corfu.

The Greek coastguard said 150 people had been rescued, while the Italian Navy issued updates on Twitter on the rescue effort.

The captain told the Italian coastguard he could no longer control his vessel, which was drifting eastwards towards the Albanian shoreline north of the port of Vlora, according to the Italian news agency Ansa. This video is described as showing an aerial view of the Norman Atlantic as ships attend the scene of the stricken vessel. Credit: Aeronautica Militare