Ships with Indian crew catch fire in Kerch Strait, 10 die
New Delhi, Jan 22 (IBNS): India is in touch with Russian authorities after two ships, which were carrying Indian nationals, caught fire in the Kerch Strait separating Crimea from Russia.
The incident left 10 people dead, media reports said.
The fire broke out in the territorial waters of Russia.
Ten people have died in the fire that broke out onboard two vessels near the Kerch Strait and ten more remain missing, the Novorossiysk maritime rescue center told TASS on Tuesday.
In response to media reports regarding Indian nationals affected in ship accident in Kerch Strait, the Official Spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said, "We have been informed that two ships caught fire while moving through the Kerch Strait after one of them was apparently rocked by an explosion on 21 January."
"At least 10 sailors have died in the incident, while 12 were rescued and 9 are still missing - according to the Russian Maritime Agency overseeing the rescue operations," he said.
"Our Embassy in Moscow is in constant touch with the concerned Russian agencies to get more information on Indian nationals affected in the incident and to extend necessary assistance," he added.
A search operation is currently going on as 10 people are said to be missing after the mishap.
"Search continues. According to latest reports, 10 people remain missing, 10 bodies were recovered, and 12 people were rescued. The fire on ships continues blazing. It will not be extinguished until all the gas burns out," a spokesman for the Russian rescue center told TASS.
As per the report published by the Russian news agency, one of them, the Candy, had a crew of 17, including nine Turkish citizens and eight Indian nationals. The other one, the Maestro, had a crew of 15 (seven Turkish nationals, seven Indian citizens, and an intern from Libya).
Image: Representative Picture
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