AKIPRESS.COM - The death toll following a fire on the Norman Atlantic ferry off Corfu has risen to 10, with the evacuation of all those on board now complete, reports BBC. 

One man was killed when trying to escape the ship, and a further nine bodies have since been found.

More than 400 people were rescued amid gale-force winds and thick smoke.

It is not clear if others are still missing. The Italian authorities said they could not verify the actual number of people originally on board.

Rescuers are still searching the vessel.

The ferry company operating the journey from the Greek city of Patras to Ancona in Italy said a total of 478 people had been on the ship when it left.

Italian Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi said that only 427 had been accounted for so far, but added that it was the responsibility of the port of departure to verify actual passenger numbers.

"That is why we are continuing our [search] effort: we cannot know what the exact number was," he said.