ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A cargo ship with 49 survivors of a ferry that caught fire in the Adriatic Sea has arrived in an Italian port. They're the first big group of survivors to reach land.
Greece's Merchant Marine minister says 316 people have been evacuated from the burning ferry, but more than 160 passengers and crew remain stranded aboard the smoke-filled vessel that's adrift in rough seas between Italy and Albania.
Passengers have endured two nights of smoke, frigid temperatures and gale-force winds. Those still waiting to be rescued are huddled in the freezing cold on the vessel's upper decks, pelted by rain and hail and struggling to breathe through thick smoke.
At least one person is confirmed dead.
