COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Four people are missing after "a serious fire" erupted on a Singapore-flagged cargo ship in the Arabian Sea belonging to the shipping branch of the Danish group A.P. Moller-Maersk, authorities said Wednesday.
Maersk Line says the fire broke out late Tuesday on Maersk Honam and firefighter efforts were "unsuccessful."
"The crew sent out a distress signal and a total of 23 crew members were safely evacuated to the nearby vessel ALS Ceres," the shipper said in a statement.
Maersk Line says the fire is still burning and "the situation of the vessel is very critical."
The shipper initially described the vessel as being about 1,000 miles off the coast of Oman. The Indian Coast Guard put the ship near the Agatti Island, some 650 nautical miles from the port city of Kochi in India.