A huge explosion has been heard from a ship off the coast of Somalia's Puntland region with flames seen rising from what was possibly a foreign naval vessel, an official has told Reuters.
"We heard (a) huge explosion and flame rising from the ship. I believe that the ship is foreign," Ali Shire, Mayor of Puntland's port town of Alula, a pirate haven, said.
He said he believed the ship was likely a naval vessel because two foreign navy ships had helped rescue the crew.
It was not immediately clear whether the explosion was caused by an accident onboard the vessel or was triggered by pirate attackers.
It was also not clear whether the vessel had sunk after the blast.
