- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Toddler among 4 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
Two trapped, several feared missing in ferry fire off Greece
Two people were trapped Friday on a burning Italian-flagged ferry sailing through the Ionian Sea and nearly a dozen sustained minor injuries as hundreds were rescued, Greek officials said amid fears of unaccounted-for passengers on board.
A Bulgarian and a Turkish truck driver were trapped on the Euroferry Olympia, with a Super Puma helicopter sent to pick them up, the Greek coastguard said.
A coastguard source said 278 people had been rescued and taken to the island of Corfu. Ten of them were taken to hospital with breathing difficulties and minor injuries, public television ERT said.
A dozen people remained unaccounted for, according to owners Grimaldi Lines, on the vessel, which was officially carrying 239 passengers and 51 crew as well as 153 trucks and trailers and 32 passenger vehicles.
A migrant stowaway was rescued in addition to those on the ship's list, raising fears that more undocumented passengers could be on board.
Migrant stowaways frequently sneak onto ferries between Greece and Italy.
Grimaldi Lines said they were alerted at 4:12 am (0212 GMT) to the fire on the Euroferry Olympia, which was heading to Italy from the Greek port city of Igoumenitsa opposite Corfu.
Television images showed the ship enveloped in flames which sent plumes of black smoke into the sky.
"The ship is burning from end to end," Corfu rescuer Yiorgos Glikofridis told ERT from a vessel near the ferry.
"There is a tremendous amount of smoke and visibility is poor. We see no movement on the deck, only flames," he said.
A Greek coastguard spokeswoman said it would take several hours to extinguish the fire.
The Bulgarian foreign ministry said there were 127 of its nationals on the passenger list, including 37 truck drivers. Another 24 are from Turkey, Turkey's NTV station said.
- Stowaway fears -
No fuel spill has been detected at sea, and the ship's stability does not appear to be compromised, the company said.
"Tugboats have been hired and are heading towards the Euroferry Olympia to give prompt support and manage the emergency," it said.
"We heard that the fire started in the hold, but it's not certain," a Greek man who identified himself as a passenger told Skai TV.
"It took just 15 minutes for the fire to reach the deck," he said, adding that the mostly Italian crew's response had been "simply perfect".
"They were very organised. The crew saved us," he said.
The cause of the fire off the island of Ereikousa between Greece and Albania, is still unknown.
Greek coastguard patrol and tow boats were rushed to the site and a frigate and two helicopters took part in the rescue operations.
An Italian patrol boat also assisted, and some rescued passengers later told Italian news agency Ansa that the flames were "gigantic" and that panic had ensued.
"The evacuation was not a simple matter," the patrol boat's commander told Ansa.
Nikos Bardis, a local fisherman, had earlier told ERT that several fishing boats were also circling the stricken vessel, looking for people in the water.
There is heavy maritime traffic between the western Greek ports of Igoumenitsa and Patras and the Italian ports of Brindisi and Ancona.
The last shipboard fire in the Adriatic occurred in December 2014 on the Italian ferry Norman Atlantic. Thirteen people died in the blaze.
str-burs-hec-jph/cdw
F.Dubois--AMWN