The number of confirmed dead is 75, but the Greek Marine Ministry believes another 15 people so far unaccounted for were on board the Greek ferry when it sank off the Aegean island of Paros on Tuesday. They include a Spaniard and a Russian.
Divers expect to find more victims drowned in their vehicles as they enter the car decks.
More than 470 passengers were rescued by local fishermen and British navy helicopters. A fifth crewman is being dealt with separately. Meanwhile, Greek maritime authorities banned nine ferries from operating on international routes on Saturday following a massive review of the country's merchant vessels as a result of the Express Samina sinking. A further 56 ferries operating on Greek domestic lines out of a total of 470 ships were also banned from operating, effective yesterday, the Merchant Marine Ministry said in a statement. Following a meeting chaired by Greece's Merchant Marine Minister, Christos Papoustis, bans were slapped on the vessels because they did not comply with European Union safety guidelines concerning essential renovations necessary for boats more than 27 years old.