5 People Dead, 400+ Rescued After #NormanAtlantic Ferry Fire In Adriatic Sea

(CNN) - All passengers have been evacuated from a ferry that caught fire in the Adriatic Sea on Sunday with the loss of five lives, the Italian coast guard said Monday. The Italian navy said only the commander of the vessel and four naval officials remained on board. More than 400 passengers had been traveling on the Norman Atlantic between the Greek port of Igoumenitsa and the Italian port of Ancona when the blaze broke out in the ferry's parking bay.

In the first three hours of the fire, around 150 people were able to escape via the vessel's lifeboats. But when the ferry lost power, the electronic arms were unable to function, leaving the rest of the boats dangling uselessly by its side.

Rescue efforts were hampered by strong winds, choppy seas and thick smoke, which prevented other boats from getting close enough to the vessel to get people off.

After waiting for hours in rough conditions, one Greek man told Italian state broadcaster RAI TV that passengers were "dying of cold and suffocating from the smoke," and that their feet were "burning" from the heat of the flames. Helicopters with night vision equipment worked through the night to pull passengers off the ferry, one by one.

An Italian navy medical team boarded the ship to aid passengers, some of whom had been suffering hypothermia and smoke inhalation, the navy said. The already cold conditions were worsened by the spray from tugboat hoses as authorities attempted to douse the flames.

By Monday afternoon, the Italian navy said 419 people had been rescued, with the country's coast guard later confirming that no passengers remained on board.

Credits: BBC / CNN