Passengers Evacuate Burning Sicily Ferry

by Jordan Yerman | May 29, 2009 at 09:55 am

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A ferry from Naples to Palermo, Sicily was evacuated after a fire broke out in the hold. 500 passengers took to the lifeboats to reach another nearby vessel.

The crew stayed aboard the ship to contain the blaze, the cause of which is unknown. Five passengers were then hospitalized.

"They knocked on the door of the cabin and told us to get on deck," passenger Stefano Friscia told Italy's Sky television afterwards.

"It was hard to breathe, the whole ship filled with smoke and they ordered the lifeboats lowered," he added.