Passengers saved from ship blaze
By Zhu Chengpei (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-11-16 22:37

Passengers on board a ship had a lucky escape after fire engulfed their vessel at sea Tuesday.

A passenger vessel, the Liaohai, caught fire a few kilometers off the seas of Dalian port, in Northeast China's Liaoning Province. Sixteen of all 340 passengers and crew injured. [newsphoto]

Rescuing ships approach the burning vessell.  [newsphoto]

Rescuers pull a passenger to safety from the burning passenger ship Liaohai. [newsphoto]

Smokes billow from the burning vessel. [newsphoto]

A massive rescue mission involving 30 ships came to the aid of the stricken passenger vessel, the Liaohai, after it caught fire a few kilometres off of Dalian, Liaoning Province in Northeast China.

"Among the rescued, 16 with slight injuries were hospitalized," said Zhang Zhixin of the Liaoning Maritime Salvage Administration (LMSA), which co-ordinated the rescue.

Liaohai, carrying 283 passengers and 49 crew, was making her daily crossing of the Bohai Bay en route from Yantai. She was nearing her destination when fire broke out.

Salvage ships towed the stricken ship to safe area near the harbour and fire-fighters were continuing to extinguish the blaze last night. work continued.

Passengers were put up in a hotel in the city, Zhang said.

The cause of the blaze, which started around lunch time, is unknown. An investigation has been launched.

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