Authorities had previously said 11 or more people had died when the Visemar-operated ro-pax was hit by a blaze in December.

AFP said the new estimate followed the sending from Greek authorities of a definitive list of who was on board the ship, which was travelling from Greece to North-eastern Italy.

There are 16 passengers unaccounted for, plus two Syrian men reported by their families to have boarded as stowaways.

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