Fire forces evacuation of ferry off Puerto Rico
Tuesday, 19 Aug, 2016
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Twenty four passengers were hospitalised after a blaze on the Caribbean Fantasy cruise ferry ship forced the evacuation of 500 passengers and crew off the coast of Puerto Rico.
The list includes three woman who dislocated ankles and one man who broke his leg sliding down emergency chutes.
Coastguard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad said an investigation is underway, and a burst fuel hose is suspected as the cause, according to a ship mechanic.
The Panamanian-flagged ship was built in 1989 and the US coast guard noted 107 faults during scheduled checks of the ship since 2010, according to a ProPublica investigation.
No major faults were recorded during its most recent inspection but the agency recommended in 2015 fuel lines be protected to avoid any leakage near ignition sources.
The ship, owned by American Cruise Ferries, was mostly carry passengers from the Dominican Republic, where the ship operates weekly from Puerto Rico.
One passenger described it ‘like something out of a movie’.
"You panic when you see that. You’re in the middle of the ocean and there’s a fire. Imagine that," said Maria Prensa, a 64-year-old passenger.
Angel Crespo, director of Puerto Rico’s emergency management agency, said more than 100 people were treated for heat stroke, shock and dehydration, with 24 more taken to hospital.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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