The Atlantic ferry Norman fire officially ten dead but probably more because of the presence now "established" illegal immigrants on board and the unreliability of the passenger list. The wreck of the ferry, once recovered, probably will reveal other victims, warned Tuesday the prosecutor of Bari (south-east), Giuseppe Volpe, head of the inquiry into the circumstances of the tragedy. The presence of illegal immigrants on board is now "established" and therefore every reason to believe that the lower decks of the ferry, where the fire broke out, reveal other victims, he said. At this uncertainty also be added the questions about any missing for lack of knowing the exact number of passengers on board the ferry Sunday when the tragedy occurred off the coast of Albania. In addition, the figure of ten people, including three Italians, do not take into account the death of two Albanian sailors reached out to rescuers, victims of the breakdown of a tow rope during sea rescue operations. The only certainty 427 people, including 56 crew members were rescued from the flames during a rescue operation "unprecedented", according to the Italian authorities. The ferry still immobilized by tugs about fifteen miles from the Albanian coast in the Strait of Otranto, is now evacuated after the departure of its commander on Monday afternoon, the last to leave the ship. But dozens of passengers were still waiting for Norman Atlantic Tuesday mid-day they return to the mainland. The Italian military ship San Giorgio, which welcomes aboard more than 180 survivors was still Tuesday at midday on the area of the accident, looking for possible missing. Whereas initially in the morning at the Italian port of Brindisi (south-east), it will regain the Adriatic port until the very end of the day, confirmed a statement from the Italian Navy. Another ship of the Italian Navy will continue research, according to this press release. A cargo ship carrying forty passengers aures Norman Atlantic is expected in the day in Taranto (Southern) instead of Manfredonia on the East Coast, too difficult to achieve given the poor weather port. Most of these survivors are free, but some were suffering from hypothermia and respiratory problems.
Doubts on the boarding list. The mystery surrounding the exact number of passengers on board the ferry remains whole, especially as the ship made a stopover in Greece after leaving the Greek port of Patras. The ship's boarding list, flying the Italian flag and chartered by the Greek company Anek, reported initially to 478 people on board, including 422 passengers, but the company brought it down Monday night at 475. Monday night, Italian Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi, did not hide his "doubts" about the accuracy of this manifesto boarding. Some of the survivors were not even on this list, he explained. Of the 371 passengers on the ferry recovered, 234 were Greeks, 54 Turks, 22 Albanians, 22 Italian and 10 Swiss, in addition to other nationalities ... and two dogs also recovered. Nine of the ten French on board were located and taken care of, but there is still no news of the tenth. Italian, Greek and Albanian maritime authorities had launched on Sunday morning in a race against time to recover hundreds of men, women and children, trapped, some for more than 34 hours, the Bridge ferry, beaten by icy winds and wrapped with thick smoke that has long hampered the rescue. Italian justice will now endeavor to clarify the circumstances of this tragedy and assign responsibility, while passengers have denounced the lack of preparation of the crew. "There was panic on board because we were more than 400 people to have to go out with a single emergency exit," recounted with emotion a young Greek woman, Urania Thiréou hosted at Hotel Nettuno Brindisi ( south-east), after being rescued on the ferry. Others, like the Greek singer Dimitra Theodossiou, denounced to the press the brutality of some passengers determined to ship the first, including by force. "They went ahead, hitting women to take the first helicopters," she has said, noting also the absence of instructions from the crew of the ferry. The judicial authorities shall hear the captain and the owner of "sinking" and "manslaughter". The ship was also placed under court receivership, said the Ministry of Transportation. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is expected in the early afternoon in Albania, where the Norman Atlantic could be transported months it is towed to Brindisi, as requested by the Italian authorities.
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