A passenger is airlifted to safety from the deck of the Norman Atlantic. (Reuters)
A passenger is airlifted to safety from the deck of the Norman Atlantic. (Reuters)

Two Albanian sailors have been killed on a tug boat during an operation to secure fire-stricken Greek ferry Norman Atlantic off the coast of Corfu.

More than 400 passengers had to be rescued from the ship after it caught fire on Sunday in the Adriatic Sea while on its way to Italy from Greece.

One man died trying to escape the ship and a further nine bodies were later found.

But Italian officials still cannot confirm the number of people missing from the ferry.

Survivors described the "scenes from hell" as passengers trampled over each other to get to safety before the rescue operation was launched.

Italian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the fire, the cause of which is still unknown.