Marina Militare Italiana
The Global Times edition of 30 December 2014 published this photo showing the ongoing evacuation of passengers from the Norman Atlantic. As the newspaper reported: ‘Desperate passengers pleaded by mobile phone live on TV to be saved from the burning ferry. Some 150 passengers managed to escape after the fire broke out on the car deck, but as access to the lower decks was blocked and electronic systems failed, the lifeboats could not be launched. Some passengers accused the crew of being ill-prepared and said that panic had broken out. Many of the remaining passengers had to be airlifted to safety in a daring helicopter rescue, and although slow at first, with a second navy boat at the scene and able to provide a landing deck for helicopters, the pace of the evacuation accelerated significantly on Monday 29 December.
