An Italian Ferry Carrying Hundreds of Passengers Is On Fire and Stuck at Sea

An Italian ferry carrying nearly 500 passengers and crew members caught fire Sunday and became stranded at sea between the Greek and Italian coasts.

According to the Associated Press, one person died during the rescue effort and at least one other was injured aboard the smoke-filled ship, which is called the Norman Atlantic and owned by an Italian shipping company.

A fire broke out on the boat's lower deck early Sunday when it was about 44 nautical miles off the Greek island of Corfu. The Italian Navy reported that 161 people have been rescued successfully off the ship, and 317 remain on board.

Rescue situation — Marina Militare (@ItalianNavy)December 28, 2014

The captain reportedly told the Italian Coast Guard he could no longer control his vessel, which was drifting east toward the Albanian shoreline north of the port of Vlora, according the Italian news agency ANSA.

ANSA said some passengers escaped aboard lifeboats and were transferred to a merchant ship, though passengers told the news agency that the deck containing the lifeboats was also where the fire was located.

Italian Navy and Air Force helicopters and rescue boats were called in to continue with rescue operations, according to ANSA, but heavy winds and 15-foot waves are making it difficult for the crews to evacuate passengers.

Most of the passengers aboard the ship are Greek. The boat was traveling from Patras, Greece to Ancona, Italy.

Videos shows heavy plumes of dark smoke billowing from the ship at sea.

The shipping company that owns the ferry, Visemar di Navigazione SRI, said there were initially 422 passengers and 56 crew members on board.

The ship was hooked up to a tugboat around 2pm EST, and will begin to be towed to port, though the fire continues to burn, according to ANSA.

The news agency identified the captain of the ship as Argilio Giacomazzi, 62, of Italy, and reported that the passenger who died was a Greek citizen who jumped overboard and died of hypothermia.

As of 9pm local time in Italy (3pm EST), about 300 people still remain on board the Norman Atlantic waiting to be rescued, according to ANSA. The operation is expected to continue throughout the entire night, aided by Air Force and Navy personnel equipped with night vision on rescue helicopters

About 170 people have been rescued already.

In addition to the death of a Greek citizen, four others have been injured, including a Navy rescue swimmer and a Coast Guard member, according to ANSA.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Follow Colleen Curry on Twitter: @currycolleen