A survivor of the ferry fire on the Norman Atlantic had expressed her concerns about the vessel’s safety shortly before it departed from the port of Igoumenitsa on route to Ancona, Italy, in a post on the ship chartering company ANEK’s Facebook page (link in Greek).
“How safe is it to overload a ship of this category just so you don’t lose a few euros?” wondered Euthimia Arvaniti, as she described a sense of mayhem before embarking on the fateful journey.
“People are sitting on the floor, others are blowing up inflatable mattresses because their cabins are full, others are sleeping on the floor….There’s been a mix up with the cabins and people are sitting out in the lounge with their children waiting,” she said.
She also bemoaned hygiene conditions on the ship and the lack of information.
“There are absolutely no announcements to inform us on how long the delay to reach Ancona will be”, the post read. “An annoying stench pervades all areas of the ship, the toilets are unacceptable and chairs are broken”.
She noted, however, that the crew weren’t to blame for the situation but the company owners.
Arvanti was plucked by a helicopter off the soaked deck of the smoke- infested ship where, according to other survivors, scenes of horror were played out.
Her mother told Greek TV she was fine but ‘she was still very shocked’ by the ordeal.
13 people have reportedly died in the accident and around 40 are still missing. Authorities said 427 were evacuated, including 56 crew members. There is confusion over the original number of passengers on board as there were reports of ‘overbooking’ and an unspecified number of stowaways.
Investigations have begun in both Greece and Italy.