A week ago, on December 28, the Italian-owned car ferry Norman Atlantic had just left a Greek port with 487 passengers, and 12 crew aboard, bound for Southern Italy, when a fire broke out on the car deck. The flames spread quickly, the heat and smoke chasing those aboard outside into howling winds and rain. Eventually, more than 400 people were rescued, most in daring, nighttime helicopter sorties that persisted despite high winds and seas. At least 13 people are known to have died in the incident, and there are fears the final toll could be higher amid uncertainty over how many people were actually on board. The still-smoldering Norman Atlantic was towed to Brindisi harbor and authorities are now in their third day of investigations. The photos here show views of the disaster from rescue crews and from passengers aboard the vessel during the fire, as well as friends and family greeting survivors.
The Deadly Fire Aboard the Ferry Norman Atlantic
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Read moreA photo taken on January 2 shows the Italian-owned Norman Atlantic ferry off the coast of the port of Brindisi. The Italian-owned vessel to be towed to Brindisi so that it can be searched for corpses and for clues as to what caused the huge fire that erupted on board on December 28. The fire led to the deaths of at least 13 people, and there are fears the final toll could be higher amid uncertainty over how many people were actually on board. #
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Read moreIn this image provided by the Italian Navy, smoke billows from the Italian-flagged Norman Atlantic after it caught fire in the Adriatic Sea on December 28. Greek and Italian rescue helicopters and vessels struggled to reach the crippled ferry, battered by 90 kilometer per hour (55 mph) winds that pushed it toward the Albanian coast. #
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Read moreThe car ferry Norman Atlantic burns in waters off Greece on December 28 in this handout video grab of the Italian Coast Guard. #
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Read moreIn this image taken from a December 28 video and made available three days later, passengers of the Italian-flagged ferry Norman Atlantic walk in the smoke after it caught fire in the Adriatic Sea. #
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Read moreIn this image taken from a December 28 video, passengers of the Italian-flagged ferry Norman Atlantic wait to be rescued after it caught fire in the Adriatic Sea. #
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Read moreSmoke billows from the Italian-flagged Norman Atlantic ferry that caught fire in the Adriatic Sea on December 30. #
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Read moreA person is lifted from the deck of the Italian-flagged ferry Norman Atlantic by a rescue helicopter after it caught fire in the Adriatic Sea on December 28. #
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Read moreA woman is lifted from the deck of the Italian-flagged ferry Norman Atlantic by a rescue helicopter on December 28. #
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Read moreA person is lifted from the deck of the ferry Norman Atlantic by a rescue helicopter on December 28. #
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Read moreA woman holds her baby as they are rescued by an Italian Air Force helicopter after the Italian-flagged Norman Atlantic caught fire on December 28. #
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Read moreIn this image taken from a December 28 video, a tug boat sprays water on the burning ferry Norman Atlantic. #
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Read moreA wounded passenger, among 49 survivors evacuated from the ferry Norman Atlantic, is helped by rescuers as he arrives aboard the Singapore-flagged cargo container ship "Spirit of Piraeus" to the harbor of Bari on December 29. #
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Read moreA man and his daughter, who were rescued from the Norman Atlantic ferry, arrive at the Elefsina military airport near Athens on December 29. #
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Read moreSurvivor of the ferry Norman Atlantic disembarks from the ship Spirit of Piraeus in the harbor of Bari in southern Italy on December 29. #
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Read moreA survivor of the ferry Norman Atlantic reacts as she hugs her children after arriving at the Elefsina military airport in Athens on December 29. #
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Read moreThe Norman Atlantic is hauled by tug boats on its way to Brindisi harbor, after a fire in waters off Greece on January 2. #
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Read moreSmoke billows from the Italian-flagged Norman Atlantic ferry that caught fire in the Adriatic Sea on December 30. #
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Read moreBurned-out cars sit on the deck of the Italian-owned Norman Atlantic ferry moored at the pier at the port of Brindisi, on January 3. Bari prosecutor Giuseppe Volpe ordered the Italian-owned vessel to be towed to Brindisi so that it can be searched for corpses and for clues as to what caused the huge fire that erupted on board on December 28. The fire led to the deaths of at least 13 people and there are fears the final toll could be higher amid uncertainty over how many people were actually on board. #
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Read moreA photo taken on January 2 shows the damaged Norman Atlantic off the coast of the port of Brindisi. #
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Read moreThe Norman Atlantic, on its way to Brindisi harbor, on January 2. #
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Read moreA photo taken on January 2 shows the Norman Atlantic arriving in the port of Brindisi. #
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Read moreItalian firemen check the still-smoldering Norman Atlantic moored at the pier of Brindisi on January 3. #
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Read moreSmoke rises from the still-burning Norman Atlantic docked at Brindisi harbor, on January 3. #
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Read moreA police diver (R) prepares to dive to check the Norman Atlantic moored at the pier at the port of Brindisi on January 3. #
Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images
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