Siete muertos en dramático accidente de ferry en el mar Adriático

The Italian-flagged ferry caught fire Norman Atlantic Sunday morning between the coasts of Greece and Italy with 478 people on board.

The Italian Coast Guard Service reported that got put out the fire and that all survivors were rescued.

The number of fatalities in the incident amounted to seven.

Click the video to see how burned the ferry

For hours, the rough seas and strong winds complicated the rescue.

Most of those aboard the ferry were Greek, but there were also passengers from Italy, Turkey, Albania and other countries.

The Coast Guard said the ferry was about 60 kilometers northwest of the island of Corfu when he radioed for help.

"Complicated" Mission

Besides rescue ships, two Greek helicopters and two Italians took turns to evacuate the ship's passengers.

"This is a complicated rescue mission. The visibility is bad and climatic conditions are difficult, but we are confident that we have a number of boats in the area," said Minister of Merchant Marine of Greece, Miltiadis Varvotsiotis.

Navy boats lined up near the ferry to protect the waves and easy operation, which also involved teams from Albania.

One passenger told Greek TV station Mega "Downstairs, where the lifeboats, the shoes we are beginning to melt from the heat of the flames".

Another passenger reported the same channel. "We're outside, we have very cold, the boat is surrounded by smoke, still burning, the floors are boiling beneath booths fire must have started before 5 am The who came to our rescue boats are gone and we are still here. "

The wife of one of the cooks ferry told reporters that he had received a call from her husband saying, "I can not breathe, we all burn like rats God save us.".

Witnesses said some of the rescued passengers suffering from hiportermia.

Ferries are a popular mode of transportation used to travel between the hundreds of Greek islands and neighboring countries.