Burned Venezuelan-flagged vessel

The Colombian Navy rescued the 29 crew members of an illegal Venezuelan-flagged fishing vessel that was burning in the Internal Bay of Buenaventura, the main port of the Andean country in the Pacific Ocean.

The Taurus I vessel was on fire, apparently due to a short circuit in the kitchen, the Navy detailed in a statement, detailing that the rescued are 14 Venezuelans, 5 Mexicans, 5 Colombians, 2 Ecuadorians, 2 Peruvians. and 1 Costa Rican.

The incident occurred when “officials from the Maritime Surveillance and Traffic Station of the General Maritime Directorate alerted the staff of the Buenaventura Coast Guard Station of the conflagration that was taking place on the ship.”

“Two Rapid Reaction Units of the Colombian Navy were immediately deployed to the scene of the emergency, which in a timely manner evacuated the 29 crew members of the vessel,” the information added.

The rescued, according to the Navy, were taken to the pier of the Buenaventura Port Captaincy, where they were treated by medical personnel who gave them first aid.

Two of them were evacuated because they required specialised medical attention, so they were taken aboard ambulances to a hospital in the port city.

The Navy also carried out an operation with three tugboats that arrived in the area to try to control the fire on the boat.

The General Maritime Directorate, meanwhile, will carry out the investigation to clarify the possible causes in time, manner and place of the maritime accident.