FOURTEEN stowaways, believed to he Kurds from Iraq, died when fire broke out on the vehicle deck of a Greek ferry last month. The victims - who had been hiding in a lorry carrying vegetables - wore thought to have suffocated as a result of smoke from the blaze. Investigations suggest the fire was the result of a short circuit in a truck's electrical system. More than 350 passengers and non-essential crew were evacuated from the 30,0009t Superfast Ill after the fire broke out some 15 mites into a voyage between Patras and Ancona, Italy. Crew members managed to bring the blaze under control and the ship returned to port under its own power. Greek authorities have launched an inquiry.

Extract from NEWMAST Telegraph December 1999