At least 11 sailors were killed in an explosion and subsequent massive fire on board two merchant vessels anchored in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait between mainland Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea Peninsula, the Interfax news agency reported on Jan. 21.
The two vessels, one of them a liquified gas tanker, were identified by as the Candy and the Maestro, both sailing under the Tanzanian flag.
According to the agency, the incident took place at 6 p.m. Moscow time 16 nautical miles off the Takil Cape at the southeastern edge of Crimea, some 750 kilometers southeast of Kyiv.
The tanker was reportedly fueling the second craft when there was an explosion followed by a massive fire. Russia’s Federal Agency For Maritime and River Transport told Interfax that at least 31 sailors were aboard both vessels, including Turkish and Indian nationals.
“The primary version (of the cause of the incident) is a safety violation,” the agency quoted Russian officials as saying.
Sailors from both vessels were also reported to be jumping overboard to escape the raging fire.
Later in the day, the Russian maritime agency said 11 dead bodies had been recovered from the sea, while 12 sailors had been rescued alive.
Another three sailors were missing and feared dead, although there was no firm confirmation of this, according to the Interfax.
“Three more bodies went down in the sea, they were not lifted out in time,” the agency reported, quoting a source in the Russian emergency services.
The Investigative Committee of Russia has initiated a criminal case on the incident, according to its official website.
Kerch FM, a news outlet in the Russian-occupied city of Kerch published a number of videos reportedly depicting the deadly incident.
Nonetheless, the incident did not affect naval traffic in the region, according to Serhiy Volkov, the director of the Crimean Seaports company, which is affiliated with the Russian occupation authorities on the peninsula.
