A car ferry caught fire off the coast of Sweden. About 300 people are on board, rescue workers are trying to evacuate them.
Update from August 29, 2:30 p.m .: A spokeswoman for the Swedish sea rescue center confirmed to the TT news agency that there were no reports of injuries. “We have received information from the ship that the fire should be under control. But we have alerted all available units to be on site should an evacuation be necessary,” the spokeswoman said. According to the information, the ferry is currently located near the small Swedish island of Gotska Sandön, around 150 kilometers south-east of Stockholm in the Baltic Sea. The fire is said to have broken out in a refrigerated container on the car deck. There is smoke, but no open flames.
Sweden: Fire on ferry apparently under grain control
First report from August 29 : Stockholm – A car ferry with around 300 people on board caught fire off the south-eastern Swedish coast on Monday. According to a spokesman for the Swedish Maritime Administration, three helicopters and seven ships were dispatched to the scene and evacuation of the ferry began. According to another spokeswoman, the fire was under control. There were initially no reports of injuries.
The fire broke out on the car deck of the “Stena Scandica”, spokesman Jonas Franzen told the AFP news agency. Accordingly, the ship was off the island of Gotska Sandön, north of Gotland. It was initially unclear what caused the fire.
