20 Indian crew members rescued from burning ship off Dutch coast return home

A group of 20 injured Indian crew members successfully returned to India after being rescued from a significant fire outbreak on a cargo vessel transporting approximately 3,800 cars off the coast of the Netherlands.

One crew member was tragically killed in the incident, and the sailor’s mortal remains are currently being repatriated, Indian authorities said.

The fire erupted on July 25 aboard the Panama-registered vessel Fremantle Highway, which was en route from Germany to Egypt.

In response, several crew members were compelled to leap into the water for their safety. The ship's entire crew consisted of Indian nationals.

The incident resulted in the death of one crew member and injuries to 20 others.

"20 Indian crew rescued from ship Fremantle Highway have safely returned to India over the past week. Thank Dutch authorities for their support & assistance as well as our sailors for their fortitude & courage through this difficult time," the Indian Embassy in the Hague said on Twitter.

"Mortal remains of one crew member who unfortunately passed away are being repatriated," it said.

The disabled vessel has been successfully towed into a port located in the northeastern region of the Netherlands.

While addressing the situation, the Dutch coast guard emphasised that the exact cause of the fire that occurred on the 11-deck ship remains unknown.

Authorities have taken a cautious approach and refrained from engaging in any speculative discussions regarding the incident.

But an audio recording emerged of one rescue worker suggesting it had started in the battery of an electric vehicle and "it appears an electric vehicle exploded too", BBC said.

Of the 3,783 cars on board the ship, 498 were electric vehicles. The fire started on an upper deck and salvage experts said that while four of the ship's decks were relatively undamaged in the hull, the eighth deck had partly collapsed because of the intensity of the fire.

The 21 crew members on board the ship had attempted to put out the fire themselves, but the blaze spread too fast.

Specialised firefighters were brought in from Rotterdam but the situation had already become too dangerous by the time they arrived.

(PTI)