WATCH ABOVE: Another tragedy for crews working to secure a Greek ferry that caught fire this weekend. Two sailors were killed trying to attach the ship to a tugboat. Meantime- the search continues for possible victims of the ferry fire. Don Champion reports.
TIRANA, Albania – Two Albanian tugboat sailors died Tuesday during operations to secure a Greek ferry adrift for three days since a fire broke out on a car deck, with 10 people killed in the ensuing chaos.
The sailors were apparently hit by a line that they had been trying to attach to the crippled, fire-blackened Norman Atlantic, said Dionis Dulaj, the police spokesman in the Albanian port town of Vlore, closest to where the 186-meter (610-foot) -long ferry has been drifting.
Defence Ministry spokeswoman Edlira Prendi announced the deaths. One man had quickly been confirmed dead while a medical team had worked on the second but could not save him.
A Dutch salvage company, Rotterdam-based Smit Salvage, was overseeing the operations to secure the Norman Atlantic after completion Monday of the rescue of 427 people, including 56 crew. One lifeboat was deployed, but most of those on the ferry were transported by helicopters to safety in an all-night operation amid high winds and pelting rains.
READ MORE: Canadian man among those rescued in aftermath of Greek ferry fire
WATCH ABOVE: Search continues for survivors of Greek ferry fire
Martijn Schuttevaer, a spokesman for Smit’s parent company Royal Boskalis Smit, said one line was connected by early Tuesday and that the priority was to get a heavier tow line connection, aided by the arrival of larger tugs. It was not clear if that was the operation underway when the Albanian sailors were struck.
Schuttevaer said crews were also going through the vessel to extinguish any remaining fire. “There is still smoke,” he said.
No decision has yet been made on where to bring the vessel.
READ MORE: Authorities say death toll in Greek ferry fire has increased to 10
The Italian Navy, meanwhile, says the search for possible missing passengers from the Greek ferry fire is continuing. Authorities say discrepancies in the ferry’s manifest make it impossible to know how many people, if any, may still be missing.
A ship carrying 39 survivors was headed to the southern Italian port of Manfredonia, but a town official told Sky TG24 that it may be diverted further north due to the weather. The survivors include five children and three people who are injured.
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Barry reported from Milan. Elena Becatoros and Derek Gatopoulos contributed from Athens, Greece.
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