Fire broke out on board the Norman Atlantic on Sunday

Dozens of passengers are awaiting rescue from the deck of a stricken Italian ferry following a fire on Sunday.

As many as 120 passengers remain on-board the vessel, Norman Atlantic, which had been travelling from Patras in Greece to Ancona in Italy.

Helicopter crews have been winching small groups of people to shore in gale-force winds and freezing temperatures off the Greek island of Corfu.

One fatality has been confirmed so far following the fire, which broke out on the cargo deck of the ship.

However, there are unconfirmed reports of three further deaths.

Over one hundred of the 478 people originally on board were taken off the ferry during the night, the Italian coast guard said.

Most of the rescued passengers have been transferred to nearby ships, although some have been taken directly to hospital.

Most of those on board were Greek.

Others came from Italy, Turkey, Albania, Germany and several other countries.

Four British nationals have been rescued from the stricken ferry, according to the UK Foreign Office.