"All seven crew members on board were picked up and brought to shore," they said, later adding that some of them had sustained minor injuries. Emergency service vessels were fighting the fire and more rescue crew headed on helicopters to the ship, about 4.5 kilometres (three miles) off shore. The statement added that the ship was in the Mecklenburger Bay in waters between the towns of Kuehlungsborn and Warnemuende. Rescuers said about four hours after the blast that the fire was still burning inside the hull and that rescue crew were assessing whether they could go onboard the vessel to douse the flames. Asked about the risk of a capsize or oil spill by AFP, a central command spokesman said "the investigation is ongoing".

Source: The North Africa Journal October 11, 2024 13:36 UTC