A major fire was raging on a Grimaldi-owned ropax off Greece on Friday, leaving eleven people unaccounted for and at least two trapped in the ship's bowels.

Nearly 280 passengers and crew from the 33,588-gt Euroferry Olympia (built 1995) were evacuated to the nearby island of Corfu, following a joint Greek-Italian operation involving navy boats, private vessels and helicopters about 10 nautical miles out at sea.