Premium
Romania's Foreign Ministry (MAE) says that according to information so far from Greek authorities, among the passengers and crew members rescued from a ferry that caught fire on Friday morning near the island of Corfu were also 29 Romanian nationals.
After media reporting, MAE, through the Romanian Embassy in Greece and the honorary consul of Romania on the island of Corfu, made an inquiry into the incident that occurred on Friday morning near the island of Corfu in which a ferryboat carrying goods and people on the Greece-Italy route was involved.
"According to information provided so far by Greek authorities to the representatives of the diplomatic mission, 29 Romanian nationals are among the rescued passengers and crew members. The authorities also said all passengers were evacuated from the ship and taken by other boats to the shore. The operation is still in progress," MAE reported on Friday in a press release.
The Romanian Embassy in Athens requested, as a matter of urgency, from Greek authorities, additional information regarding the identity and state of health of the affected Romanian nationals in order to be able to provide consular assistance.
MAE says that the diplomatic mission has received no requests for consular assistance from the Romanian nationals regarding the incident.
MAE adds that Romanian nationals can request consular assistance by calling the Romanian Embassy in Greece: +30 210 6728875 or +30 210 6728879, with the calls being redirected to the Contact and Support Centre for Romanian Citizens Abroad (CCSCRS) and taken over by call centre operators 24/7.
Romanian nationals who are facing a difficult, special situation of an emergency nature may call the Romanian Embassy in Athens: +30 6978996222.
A fire broke out on an Italian-flagged ferry on Friday with 288 people (237 passengers and 51 crew members) abroad, as the boat was sailing from Igoumenitsa, the largest port in western Greece, and was headed to the Italian port of Brindisi, according to the AFP and Reuters news agencies.
The incident occurred on the Euroferry Olympia liner in the Ionian Sea. The cause of the fire is not known and there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries, the Greek coast guard said.
"All the passengers are safe and sound in lifeboats," Kostas Katsafados, senior Greek Merchant Navy official, told Greek radio station Skai.
Three Greek Coast Guard ships rushed to the scene at around 01:30hrs GMT.
The passengers in the lifeboats were to be transported to the Greek island of Corfu, Agerpres informs.
