One sailor died, three were hurt and one is still missing
after a cargo ship caught fire and sank off the coast of Sharajah yesterday.
The accident happened 8 km (5 miles) from the coast at
around 9 AM. According to the acting Director-General of Sharjah Civil Defence,
Colonel Khalid Obaid Bin Kanoon the fire occurred after the ship had loaded its
cargo at Port Khalid. The area was enveloped by a thick blanket of smoke.
A
team from the Civil Defence was dispatched immediately by the police operations
control room. The Coast Guard were notified and they also reached the area of
the accident. The heavy smoke covered Al Rolla and the traffic police cordoned
off the area creating heavy traffic congestion.
According to Colonel Khalid Obaid Bin Kanoon, at the time
the rescue teams arrived, one of the five crew members had died, one had jumped
into the sea and the other three were on board. They sustained moderate to
serious burns and received first aid immediately. Later, they were transferred
to the Al Kuwaiti hospital. They were identified as S.A.K (21-year old, India),
M.K. (19-year old, India) and S.A. (20-year, Bangladesh).
The rescue team from the Coast Guard tried to save the cargo
of the burning ship, but it was gutted completely by the fire and it finally
sank. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the police of Khalid Port
and the search for the missing crew member continues.
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