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Off the coast of the Netherlands, a large fire broke out on board a cargo ship carrying roughly 3,000 automobiles, leaving one Indian crew member dead and 20 others hurt. Dutch coastguards had issued a warning that the fire would burn for several days.
The 199-meter Fremantle Highway, registered in Panama and traveling from Germany to Egypt, caught fire on Tuesday night. The situation required several crew members to leap overboard.
In a social media statement, the Indian Embassy in the Netherlands confirmed that an Indian national had died as a result of the incident.
In a tweet posted on Wednesday, it wrote, "We are deeply saddened by the incident involving Ship 'Fremantle Highway' in the North Sea, which resulted in the death of an Indian seafarer & injuries to the crew."
The embassy claimed to be in contact with the deceased's relatives and to be helping with the return of the mortal remains.
The 20 further injured crew members are safe and receiving medical care, and the Embassy is in contact with them as well. In collaboration with the Dutch authorities and the shipping firm, all support is being provided, the statement read.
A representative for the Dutch Coastguard said that when some of the 23 crew members jumped into the ocean, rescue boats and helicopters were deployed to remove them off the ship.
