Volcano Eruption Triggers Urgent Evacuations of Thousands in Indonesia
Indonesia is grappling with a mounting crisis as rescue teams mobilize to evacuate thousands of people following a series of volcanic eruptions that have rattled the region
The number of victims of the fire on the Greek ferry Norman Atlantic has reached 13, but rescuers fear the figure might rise.
Among the victims are two Albanian sailors on a tugboat who died after being hit by a connecting cable between the vessels on Tuesday, Albanian officials say.
More than 400 passengers were rescued, but it is still unclear how many are missing, as Italian authorities established discrepancies between the official passenger list and the actual number of people on the torched ferry. It is suspected that the people not on the passenger manifest were illegal immigrants.
According to Bulgaria's Nova TV national channel, the Italian authorities were also investigating a possible arson with intention to kill.
Meanwhile, two of the seven Bulgarians on board the Norman Atlantic said that the crew was in panic and didn't know what to do when the fire broke out in the vehicle deck of the ship.
“I was in hell, now I am in heaven”, one of the first people rescued, Galin Haytov, told the bTV national channel from the hospital in the Italian city of Brindisi, where he expects surgery on his broken arm and collarbone. “I woke up to the sound of screams and blasts. It was dark, there was smoke and I realised there was a fire. The crew was telling me not to worry, while they were trying to put out the flames with a fire hose. But the soles of my shoes melted. I managed to get out and get on the open deck. I found my way to one of the life boats, but while I was waiting for the women to board it, someone pushed me and I fell and broke my arm and collarbone. It hurts, it's unpleasant, but I am alive. I may be in hospital, but at least I am not in the open sea, on a boat on fire. I am in heaven”
Radka Todorova, one of the last ones rescued from the ferry, told the Nova TV national channel she tried three times to climb up the stairs to the rescue helicopter and three times she was pushed aside by men.
"I was awaken by smoke and I saw fire," she said. "I ran and the fire was chasing me. Somehow I got to the upper deck, where I stood barefoot in the rain."
“Three times I tried to get to the helicopter rope and three times men pushed me aside,” she said. “They were so much more pushy than us, women.”
Todorova spent 27 hours on the burning ferry, when she finally managed to get to the rescue rope of the helicopter and board the San Giorgio amphibious boat of the Italian Navy, which safely arrived in the port of Brindisi on Tuesday evening.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
Two infants from Kyustendil have tragically lost their lives after contracting whooping cough
Shock and outrage spread through Bulgaria as news emerged that the grave of the late Patriarch Neophyte was desecrated by unknown perpetrators, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church revealed on Tuesday morning
The village of Chernookovo in the Dobrich region of Bulgaria was rocked by a horrifying incident that left the community reeling in disbelief and outrage
Doctors at "Pirogov" Hospital successfully extracted a bullet from the brain of a 2-year-old child who was airlifted from Vratsa following a tragic shooting incident
A devastating incident unfolded this afternoon near Vratsa, Bulgaria, where a one-and-a-half-year-old child was shot in the head under unknown circumstances
A shocking incident in Sofia's Tolstoy district has left residents outraged after a taxi driver narrowly avoided a mother and child while crossing the street, only to flee the scene
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022