Hundreds of passengers trapped on blazing ferry as rescue operation to free them is hampered by bad weather and gale-force winds off Corfu

The fire broke out on the lower car deck of the Italian-flagged Norman Atlantic, which was travelling from the Greek port of Patras to Ancona in Italy and had 423 passengers and 55 crew members on board. The vessel is currently being evacuated but some passengers have reportedly been stranded on an upper deck of the stricken ferry for more than six hours, as they are unable to be lowered to lifeboats due to the high seas. Authorities said a total of 171 passengers have so far been rescued from the blazing ship, but the rest remain stranded on board or in lifeboats at sea. The ferry is reported to be drifting 42 nautical miles northwest of Corfu, and both the Greek and Italian authorities have sent military helicopters to help with the rescue effort.