14 die as ships with Indian crew catch fire off Russia

Moscow, Jan 22 (IANS) At least 14 people have been killed in a fire that broke out on two Tanzanian-flagged ships, both carrying Indian crew, near the Kerch Strait that separates Crimea and Russia, Crimea Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov said on Tuesday. The victims have not been identified yet.

Preliminary information said the fire erupted on Monday night due to the failure of a pump being used to transfer fuel between the two vessels -- Candy and Maestro -- in violation of security regulations, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

The two ships had a total of 32 crew members -- Turkish and Indian nationals.

The news agency said Candy had a crew of 17 -- eight Indian nationals and nine Turks while the Maestro carried seven Indians, seven Turks and an intern from Libya.

"... We currently have information about 14 dead sailors... Other sailors have not been delivered to hospitals yet," Aksyonov was quoted as saying by TASS.

A spokesman from Russia's Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport said that 12 people had been rescued and there were no chances of finding any more survivors.

"The fire on ships continues... It will not be extinguished until all the gas burns out," the spokesman said.

Officials said that Russian rescuers were trying to reach sailors who jumped into the waters to avoid the fire.

The Indian embassy in Moscow was in touch with the agencies in Russia to get more information and extend whatever help that may be necessary, the External Affairs Ministry said in Delhi.

Severe weather conditions prevented rescue ships from bringing victims to the shore for medical treatment, RT News reported. Both vessels were flying Tanzanian flags. One of them was a liquefied natural gas carrier and another one was a tanker.

Maritime traffic was not affected by the incident and navigation through the Kerch Strait is still open, the Director of the Crimean Sea Ports said.

Authorities in the Crimean city of Kerch said they were ready to receive the victims.

The crew members were sailing in "neutral waters" in the Black Sea when the incident occurred, reports said.

The Kerch Strait is a focus of tension between Russia and Ukraine. In November, Russian border guards seized three Ukrainian naval vessels near the narrow channel, which links the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov.

The strait holds strategic importance for both sides. It is an important economic lifeline for Ukraine that allows ships leaving the port city of Mariupol to access the Black Sea.

It is also the the closest point of access for Russia to Crimea, a peninsula Moscow annexed in 2014.

(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)