All 12 crew rescued after engine-room fire on ship off Limassol
A fire broke out in the engine room of the Somalia-flagged Afadja off Limassol on Thursday; all 12 crew members were rescued and the blaze extinguished.
A fire broke out in the engine room of a commercial vessel in Cypriot waters off Limassol on Thursday, prompting a rescue operation that saved all 12 crew members, authorities said.
Cyprus's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said it received a distress call shortly before noon from the Afadja, a Somalia-flagged vessel, about eight nautical miles south-east of Cape Gata, near the Akrotiri peninsula, the Cyprus Mail reported.
The centre activated Cyprus's national "Nearchos" search-and-rescue plan, deploying a police helicopter, two naval vessels, a coast guard boat and a firefighting tugboat, Philenews reported. The fire was put out with help from the tugboat EDT Aether and a coast guard vessel, and the ship was towed to a safe location in Limassol Bay.
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What we know
- 1 outlet · Philenews A fire broke out in the engine room of the Somalia-flagged vessel Afadja, about eight nautical miles south-east of Cape Gata, Philenews reported.
- 2+ outlets · Philenews, AlphaNews.Live +2 All 12 crew members were rescued and are safe, Cyprus Mail reported.
- 2+ outlets · AlphaNews.Live, SigmaLive +1 Cyprus's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre activated the national "Nearchos" search-and-rescue plan, deploying a helicopter, naval vessels and a firefighting tugboat.
- 2+ outlets · Cyprus Mail, SigmaLive The fire was extinguished and the vessel towed to Limassol Bay.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
Commercial shipping lanes off Cyprus, near the entrance to the eastern Mediterranean, carry heavy tanker and cargo traffic, and a fire at sea can turn life-threatening within minutes without a fast rescue response. All 12 crew members were confirmed safe and no pollution or further damage was reported, Cyprus Mail said.
Sources
Reported by 5 reports from 5 independent outlets in 1 countries.
- Philenews: Συναγερμός ανοιχτά της Λεμεσού: Φωτιά στο μηχανοστάσιο εμπορικού πλοίου – Διασώθηκε 12μελές πλήρωμα – Δείτε βίντεο
- AlphaNews.Live: Θρίλερ ανοικτά της Λεμεσού όταν εμπορικό πλοίο πήρε φωτιά-Η δραματική επιχείρηση διάσωσης από το ΚΣΕΔ
- SigmaLive: ΒΙΝΤΕΟ: Φωτιά σε σομαλικό πλοίο σε κυπριακά χωρικά ύδατα -Διασώθηκε το πλήρωμα
- Cyprus Mail: Ship fire extinguished off Limassol, crew safe
- Philenews: Γροθιές μεταξύ συγκάτοικων στη Λεμεσό – Στο νοσοκομείο με κάταγμα στο ζυγωματικό 41χρονος, συνελήφθη 29χρονος από το Ιράν
Source balance
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Confidence and impact scores, 1 more sources, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Questions and answers
- Were there any casualties?
- No. All 12 crew members of the Afadja were rescued and reported safe, Cyprus Mail said.
- Where did the fire break out?
- In the vessel's engine room, about eight nautical miles south-east of Cape Gata off Limassol, Philenews reported.
- What caused the fire?
- The cause has not been reported.
This article was written with AI assistance from 6 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.