UPDATED: Seven reported dead in car ferry disaster
Updated 15:52, December 29
Seven people have reportedly died after a car ferry caught fire off the coast of Greece in the early hours of Sunday morning.
All surviving passengers have now been rescued from the Italian-flagged Norman Atlantic, which was travelling from Patras in Greece to Ancona in Italy.
The Foreign Office confirmed that four Britons have been saved. One of the Britons on board was show-jumper Nicholas Channing-Williams with fiance Regina Theofilli.
Helicopters and ships had battled with the rescue operation due to bad weather and gale force winds of up to 55 mph.
478 passengers and crew had been on board the ferry.
Passengers reported their shoes melting on the hot deck and having to climb higher and higher in the ship to escape the flames.
"We went to the deck where there were life boats, but at some point we felt the floor burning and we went higher up to the heliport," passenger Rania Fireou told Greek television by phone before the airlifts began.
Officials said most of the passengers were Greek but the passenger list included names from several other countries including Germany, Italy, Austria, Turkey, France and the Netherlands.
The Norman Atlantic, which is a roll-on roll-off ferry chartered by Greek ferry company ANEK, was being stabilized by cables attached to a tug and will be towed to the southern Italian port of Brindisi.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office told the Daily Mail: "From the passenger manifest, and other information available to us, we know that a number of British nationals were on board the Norman Atlantic.
"Local authorities have confirmed to us that four British nationals have been rescued so far. The rescue operation is ongoing and we remain in close touch with the Italian authorities."
Diane
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