Cruise ship rocked after Gibraltar explosion
A dozen passengers on board Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas were injured after an explosion in the port of Gilbraltar yesterday.
The ship, carrying more than 4,000 passengers, felt the force of the explosion in a nearby fuel storage tank.
Royal Caribbean said the 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and received medical treatment on board.
The ship made an emergency departure, leaving two passengers ashore. They were due to be reunited with other passengers later.
See Utube video (right) showing the ship leaving the port as dense black smoke billows from Fuel Depot North Mole.
According to reports, a Spanish workman was seriously injured and policeman received burns while attempting to rescue him.
Flights were temporalily suspended at Gibraltar airport due to the heavy smoke.
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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