(Bloomberg) — Seven people died after a fire broke out on an Italian ferry traveling from Greece to Italy and more than 400 people were rescued in small groups last night and today amid rough seas and high winds.

The captain of the Norman Atlantic was the last to leave the ship as rescue operations were concluded around 2:50 p.m. today local time, the Italian Coast Guard said in a Twitter post.

An Italian-led operation put out the fire that broke out yesterday and also docked a tugboat to the ferry to help stabilize the vessel that departed from the Greek port of Patras en route to Ancona, Italy, with 422 passengers and 56 crew members. The Italian Navy's Twitter account showed images of rescue helicopters taking off in harsh weather, which allowed for rescues of only a few people at a time.

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