Two crew members killed after commercial boat caught fire near Bosasso port

[Deeq A.]

Two crew members have been killed and two others sustained injuries after commercial boat caught fire near Bossaso port, 1,388 km northeast of Somali capital, Mogadishu.

The vessel which was carrying fuel, cars and food had sailed from Dubai Port of United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Puntland Marine Police Force (PMPF) commander, Abdirisack Diriye said the fire killed two crew and destroyed all the goods that were onboard.

” The fire burnt down all goods onboard, Our forces fortunately rescued two crew members. The rescue mission is still underway,” Diriye added.

The rescued crew members who are said to be Indian Nationals are now undergoing treatment at Bosasso General Hospital.

The Fire is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit in the engine room of the boat.

It is not the first time that a boat bursts into flames near Bosasso port.

In June 2015, a fire broke out on the deck of a commercial boat which was carrying livestock from Puntland to Gulf countries. All 1000 livestock on the boat were burned before the boat sank.