Three feared drowned as Turkish ship sinks off Italy

Rome: Three seamen were missing, feared drowned after a Turkish-registered merchant ship sank off Italy Sunday following a collision with another vessel in rough seas, coastguards said.

The three were amongst 11 men who were aboard the Turkish vessel and another, Belize-registered, ship when they collided in storm conditions about a mile and a half (two kilometres) off the port of Ravenna on Italy's Adriatic coast.

The accident occurred as Italy was attempting to coordinate the evacuation of hundreds of passengers and crew from a stricken ferry off the Greek island of Corfu, in the south of the Adriatic.

The ferry had been destined for the Italian port of Ancona when a fire broke out on board.