Electric car causes cargo freighter disaster in the North Sea | DW News

A fire on a cargo ship resulted in the loss of one crew member's life and left several others injured, according to a statement by the Dutch coast guard on Wednesday. Officials said the vessel, thought to pose a major environmental risk if it sinks, "could still burn for days."

The Panama-registered Fremantle Highway was transporting 2,857 cars from the German port of Bremerhaven to Port Said in Egypt, when the blaze broke out.

At least seven crew members jumped overboard and were rescued from the water, while the rest were airlifted by helicopter, officials said. One of the 25 electric cars onboard caught fire, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported, citing a coast guard official.

The ship was still burning some 27 nautical miles (50 kilometers) north of the Dutch island of Ameland — located close to a major environmental and UNESCO heritage site.

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