Fire-hit ferry in the Baltic now safe

Hundreds of passengers were rescued as firefighting ships sprayed the Lisco Gloria with water to keep it from breaking apart and spilling some 170 tons of fuel. The blaze is now under control.

The 249 people aboard the vessel were collected by six ships, with three taken to hospitals by helicopter for treatment and another 28 suffering minor injuries.

The Lithuanian-flagged ferry was traveling from the German port of Kiel to Klaipeda.

The Admiral Danish Fleet said there was no longer any visible fire on the ship and only small traces of smoke.

But a spokesman for Germany's Central Command for Maritime Emergencies warned the situation could deteriorate if the ferry is not pulled into a safe harbour.

A terror attack was ruled out as the cause of the fire, and officials have been looking into a possible technical mishap involving a lorry.

TV footage showed a fire on the top deck, while the decks below appeared to be gutted by the fire.

Authorities hope to be able to pull the ferry to a nearby harbour, where the accident's cause can be thoroughly investigated.

A four-person team were previously lowered to the ferry by helicopter and anchored the vessel off the southern tip of the Danish island Langeland to keep it from drifting.

The majority of the passengers were Lithuanian, with most taken to hotels for the night and others driving themselves home.