14 die as ships with Indian crew catch fire off Russia

14 die as ships with Indian crew catch fire off Russia

Moscow: At least 14 people have been killed in a fire that broke out on two Tanzanian-flagged ships, both carrying Indian crew, near the Kerch Strait that separates Crimea and Russia, Crimea Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov said on Tuesday. The victims have not been identified yet.

Preliminary information said the fire erupted on Monday night due to the failure of a pump being used to transfer fuel between the two vessels — Candy and Maestro — in violation of security regulations, Russian state news agency TASS reported. The two ships had a total of 32 crew members — Turkish and Indian nationals. The news agency said Candy had a crew of 17 — eight Indian nationals and nine Turks while the Maestro carried seven Indians, seven Turks and an intern from Libya. “... We currently have information about 14 dead sailors... Other sailors have not been delivered to hospitals yet,” Aksyonov was quoted as saying by TASS. A spokesman from Russia’s Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport said that 12 people had been rescued and there were no chances of finding any more survivors. “The fire on ships continues... It will not be extinguished until all the gas burns out,” the spokesman said. Officials said that Russian rescuers were trying to reach sailors who jumped into the waters to avoid the fire. (IANS)

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