A fire, which occurred early Wednesday, July 26 off the coast of the Netherlands on a cargo ship carrying cars, left at least one dead and several injured among the crew members, the coast guard said.
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The crew attempted to extinguish the fire themselves but failed. Unfortunately one person died and several others were injured, "they said, adding that the Fremantle Highway, registered in Panama and with some 3,000 vehicles on board, was still on fire about thirty kilometers north of the Dutch island of Ameland.
'The fire is still raging'
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All 23 crew members have now been evacuated from the boat" while the "fire is still raging on board," reads the coast guard's internet portal. "We are taking into account all scenarios," a coast guard spokesman told national television channel NOS, adding that an electric car could be the cause of the fire.
Emergency services had received a call shortly after midnight (Tuesday 22:00 GMT) reporting the fire. Rescue ships were still on the scene trying to extinguish the flames and prevent the ship from sinking, according to NOS television.
The Fremantle Highway, an 18,500-ton container ship, had left the German port of Bremerhaven for Port Said in Egypt, according to the marinetraffic.com website, which tracks live maritime traffic around the world.