Water from the automatic fire-fighting systems continued to hamper the work of the fire brigade to completely extinguish the fire aboard the 'Eleftherios Venizelos'
Water from the automatic fire-fighting systems continued to hamper the work of the fire brigade to completely extinguish the fire aboard the 'Eleftherios Venizelos'. In the morning the stern ramp of the ship was opened and some trucks were unloaded to facilitate the access of the firefighters. They also had to open holes in the hull in order to inject foam and water. First information indicated that the blaze was probably caused by a short-circuit in a truck. A floating barrier has been placed around the ship as a precaution. Trucks and private cars have been burned, and the firefighters have already managed to remove some from the starboard side of the ship's 1st car deck. Inside the decks there were up to 500 degrees Celsius, and it was expected that the fire on the ship would burn for another two or three days. Fumes from a truck loaded with synthetic wood-chipboard, the intense smoke, the narrow space and the heat were making the task very difficult for the Firefighters. When the work of extinguishing is completed, crane trucks were expected to remove the damaged vehicles and to unload what has been left in good condition. On Aug 29 at 6.40 p.m. the ferry 'Blue Galaxy' arrived in Souda with 662 passengers on board, many of whom were passengers of the 'Eleftherios Venizelos'. Greek report with photos: www.thetoc.gr/koi...
