Brindisi , Italy ( CNN ) Conditions for the rescue of passengers off a ferry that caught fire in the Adriatic Sea could hardly have been worse . Strong winds , choppy seas and thick smoke pounded the efforts . In the end , at least 10 people died , the Italian coast guard said on Monday . But many more were saved -- 427 -- the coast guard said . Ute Kilger was one of those who survived . `` We were wet and cold , and the rain was like needles , '' she said . `` There was always these explosions and this feeling you have in your feet . It goes through your body . '' Talking to CNN in donated Red Cross pajamas , she stumbled over her words : `` It was unreal , but I knew it is so real . This was really bad , to really know , it is real . '' The Italian coast guard earlier said that all remaining passengers had been evacuated from the vessel , with the boat 's commander finally leaving the ship at 2:50 p.m. Monday . The coast guard said it was inspecting the ship and deciding how to transport it -- and where . The public prosecutor in Bari , Italy , said he had requested the seizure of the ship as part of a criminal investigation . Authorities are waiting for authorization from Albanian officials to release the ship , because it is in Albanian waters . Giuseppe Volpe , the prosecutor , added that the owner and the captain of the ship will be notified of the investigation . No charges have been filed . More than 400 passengers were traveling on the Norman Atlantic between the Greek port of Igoumenitsa and the Italian port of Ancona when the fire began , apparently in the ferry 's parking bay . 'Dying of cold ' In the first three hours of the fire , around 150 people were able to escape via the vessel 's lifeboats . But when the ferry lost power , the electronic arms were unable to function , leaving the rest of the boats dangling uselessly by its side . After waiting for hours in rough conditions , one Greek man told Italian state broadcaster RAI TV that passengers were `` dying of cold and suffocating from the smoke , '' and that their feet were burning from the heat of the flames . Helicopters with night vision equipment worked through the night to pull passengers off the ferry , one by one . An Italian navy medical team boarded the ship to aid passengers , some of whom had been suffering hypothermia and smoke inhalation , the navy said . The already cold conditions were worsened by the spray from tugboat hoses as authorities attempted to douse the flames . A freighter carrying 49 rescued passengers arrived at the port of Bari on Monday . Photos showed survivors wrapped in emergency foil blankets being carried away on stretchers . One man died after he jumped or fell into the cold water , authorities said . It is unclear how the other victims died . 'Prisoners on a burning ship ' Dramatic cell phone images filmed by a passenger showed flames through shattered portholes , while a wider view released by rescuers showed a huge plume of thick , black smoke streaming from the stricken vessel . Many passengers were unable to reach the lower decks because of the heat , and the water below was so cold that jumping clear of the ferry was not an option . Sea surface temperatures had been around 14 to 15 degrees Celsius ( 57 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit ) , CNN meteorologist Tom Sater said , which would have limited the survival time in the water to six hours at most . Passengers told Greek and Italian newsgroups they had felt like `` prisoners on a burning ship . '' It 's not known how the fire started , but it is believed to have originated in the parking bay . A truck driver told the Greek news media that trucks filled with oil were `` packed like sardines , '' their cargo scraping the ceiling , which could have set off sparks in rough seas to start a fire , he surmised . Greek authorities said the vessel 's fire doors appeared to have failed , which allowed the flames to spread quickly . More on major ferry sinkings . CNN 's Nima Elbagir reported this story from Brindisi , Italy . CNN 's Dana Ford wrote from Atlanta . Journalist Barbie Nadeau reported this story from Rome .
Death toll rises to 10 after fire on ferry in Adriatic Sea . The blaze broke out at about 1:30 a.m. local time and was extinguished by the Coast Guard shortly before 6 a.m., according to a statement from Italy's coast guard. More than 400 people had been on board stricken vessel .