'We saw death in front of us': Passengers recount Greece-Italy ferry fire ordeal

A passenger rescued from the Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia, which caught fire off the island of Corfu, is seen at the port of the island of Corfu, Greece, February 18, 2022. REUTERS/Giorgos Korkidis

CORFU, Greece (Reuters) - Shocked and sleep-deprived, passengers rescued from a Greece-Italy ferry that caught fire off the island of Corfu said on Saturday they felt relieved to be alive, though some feared for their livelihoods after losing trucks and cargos.

More than 24 hours since the fire broke out early on Friday, rescue teams were still searching for 12 missing people, some of them trapped in the ship, as firefighters struggled to tame the flames on the vessel a few miles off Corfu's coast.