The death toll following a
fire on the Norman Atlantic ferry off
Corfu has risen to eight, with
the evacuation of all those on board now complete.One man was killed when trying to escape the ship, and a further seven bodies have since been found.
More than 400 people were rescued, in a long and complex operation amid gale-force winds and thick smoke.
The captain of the ferry was the last to be rescued, more than 36 hours after sending out a distress signal.
Captain Argilio Giacomazzi handed control of the stricken vessel to the Italian navy at 1350 GMT on Monday.
It is unclear what caused the fire to break out on Sunday on the car deck of the ferry.
Italian prosecutors announced on Monday that they had opened a criminal investigation into the fire and would look into whether negligence had played a role.
The ferry company operating the journey from the Greek city of Patras to Ancona in Italy said a total of 478 people were on board.
A 62-year-old Greek man was the first of the fatalities to be recovered. He and his wife, who was injured, had fallen into the water as they tried to reach a lifeboat.
Teodora Douli, 56, told Ansa news agency that her husband may have hit his head as he fell. "I tried to save him but I couldn't," she said.
Another seven bodies were found later.
Source:BBC
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