Rescue forces search for 12 missing people in ferry fire near Corfu

Efforts to bring the blaze on the Italian Euroferry Olympia under control hampered by gale-force winds

Greek rescue forces were desperately trying to extinguish fires raging for a second day on an Italian cruise liner off the coast of Corfu, as the search for 12 people believed to be missing intensified.

Firefighters battled flames leaping from the ferry's interior as state TV showed images of the Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia engulfed in thick, acrid smoke. Efforts to bring the blaze under control were hampered by gale-force winds on Saturday, while intense heat from the ship made it impossible for rescuers to land on it, the broadcaster reported.