Car ferry carrying hundreds of vehicles catches fire off Mykonos

A fire broke out on the ferry Blue Car Carrier II off the northern coast of the Greek island of Mykonos, as the vessel was carrying around 200 vehicles. Greek media report that the blaze started in the morning in the ship's garage deck, which held 166 trucks and 29 passenger cars.

The crew was unable to put out the fire on their own. Four fire boats, two Greek Coast Guard environmental protection vessels and a rescue ship equipped with specialised equipment were sent to help.

Coast Guard personnel evacuated the passenger and crew members to the nearby island of Tinos without any injuries.

According to Theofanis Balatsoukas, a spokesman for the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, the fire had still not been brought under control by the afternoon, as the flames had spread to other parts of the vessel.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz