China News Service, October 24. According to Reuters and Agence France-Presse reports, on the 23rd local time, a cargo ship carrying chemicals broke out in the waters near British Columbia in western Canada.
At present, 16 crew members have been safely evacuated, and 5 crew members are still on board to put out the fire.
Image source: Reuters video screenshot.
According to reports, the Canadian Coast Guard issued a statement stating that: “The ship broke out in a big fire and released toxic gases.” The Coast Guard stated that ten containers on the freighter were still burning, two of which carried more than 52 kilograms. Dangerous chemicals, the fire continued to spread, but the hull itself did not catch fire.
Reuters video shows that the heavy smoke caused by the fire continued to move along with the accident freighter.
At present, the cause of the fire is unclear.
The Coast Guard has declared a nautical mile around the cargo ship as an emergency area and advised all other ships to stay away from this area.