One dead, several hurt in cargo ship fire - Dutch coast guard

One dead, several hurt in cargo ship fire - Dutch coast guard

World

The ship was sailing about 180 km from the capital Amsterdam when the fire started, a statement said

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – One person died and several others were hurt when a fire broke out on Panama-registered cargo ship the Fremantle Highway off the northern coast of the Netherlands, the Dutch coast guard said on Wednesday.

The ship was sailing 27 km (17 miles) north of the island of Ameland, about 180 km from the capital Amsterdam when the fire started, a statement said.

A spokesperson told Reuters an electric car was the source of the blaze. The cargo ship was transporting 2,857 cars from Germany to Egypt, 25 of them electric.

There were 23 crew members on board when the fire began. All crew were evacuated to the nearby Dutch port of Lauwersoog after failing to extinguish the blaze, the statement said.

Emergency services are still present near the blazing ship.