Russian ship bursts into flames near South Korea as six sailors left injured
The cause of the fire may have been an engine failure, according to reports.
Six Russian sailors were injured after their cargo ship burst into flames on Wednesday, according to reports. The fire broke out as the vessel, carrying 23 Russians, experienced what appeared to be an engine failure near Busan, South Korea.
The refrigerated cargo ship, designed to transport perishable goods, was 8km off the port of Gamcheon in Busan at around 7:14am local time when the incident unfolded, according to SHOT. Its entire crew was rescued and six Russian passengers hospitalised, two with serious burns and injuries. Emergency services extinguished the blaze at 8am.
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The cargo ship was known as "Crystal Asia", Russian media reports. The country's consulate general confirmed that two people had been "seriously" injured and that the blaze was "quickly extinguished".
Busan Marine Police, the Central Marine Rescue Group and the Coastguard all responded to the emergency incident.
The vessel was reportedly moved to the port of Busan with the help of a tugboat and will set sail again after undergoing a series of repairs.
The cause of the fire has not yet been disclosed.
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South Korea is also currently battling some of the worst wildfires in its history, with at least 18 dead and more than 200 structures destroyed, including an ancient Buddhist temple, houses, vehicles and factories.
The blaze is thought to have burned across over 43,000 acres after being exacerbated by strong winds at the weekend and early this week.
Government officials have suggested that some of the outbreaks were caused by human error, possibly linked to sparks from welding work or fire used to clear overgrown grass.
