Flames on ferry in Piombino, 274 passengers evacuated
A ferry leaving the port of Piombino for the island of Elba was evacuated due to a fire in the engine room
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A fire broke out in the engine room of the Corsica Express Three ferry, belonging to the Corsica Sardinia Ferries company, bound for the island of Elba and just leaving the port of Piombino (Livorno), triggering the emergency procedure for the immediate disembarkation of the 274 passengers.
The ship, which had around 300 people on board with its crew and had set sail from Piombino, had to return to port immediately.
The fire did not cause any injuries on board, the Livorno Maritime Directorate explained, and was then immediately extinguished thanks to the intervention of the fire brigade, but the main concern was to secure the passengers with immediate re-entry.
The fire also caused a failure of the stern hatch controls, which could not be opened once they returned to Piombino. As a result, the emergency procedure was triggered and passengers had to be disembarked through the emergency slips at sea.
Operations coordinated by the Piombino harbourmaster's office. Here, a passenger was rescued by the 118 emergency services for a panic attack and another for minor grazes, while a woman was taken to the emergency room for a friction burn caused by the slide.
