Nine Chinese killed in fishing vessel fire (Agencies) Updated: 2005-06-24 08:47
Firefighters on Thursday recovered the badly burned remains of eleven men,
including nine Chinese, killed aboard a Ukrainian-flagged fishing vessel that
caught fire in this port.
The "Simeiz," carrying a crew of 39, caught fire before dawn Wednesday in the
harbor alongside the Uruguayan capital. But authorities said they had to wait
until flames were out to board the vessel for fear that flammable refrigerants
used in onboard freezers might explode.
A spokesman for the firefighters, Jorge Roqueta, said the victims were found
in their bunks and that the bodies were so badly burned that it was difficult to
identify the remains.
Uruguayan firefighters stand by covered bodies
on the deck of the Ukranian fishing vessel 'Simeiz' in Montevideo,
Uruguay, Thursday, June 23, 2005.[AP] | Roqueta
said the dead included nine Chinese, an Indonesian and a Ukrainian. Other crew
safely accounted for included Peruvians, Spanish and Russian workers, he added.
The fire on the ship, a modern vessel nearly 200 feet long, sent black plumes
high over Montevideo's harbor.
Uruguayan army ships battle to control a fire
on a Ukranian fishing vessel, Simeiz, in Montevideo's harbour, June 22,
2005. [Reuters] | Roqueta said authorities were
only beginning to investigate the fire, which swept through about 40 percent of
the vessel but did not reach the engine room or the command deck.
The ship arrived in port on Monday. Montevideo is a busy port for ships
heading to and from fishing grounds off southernmost South
America.
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