An explosion shook a cargo ship that transported coal in Baltimore, causing a fire and sending a current of smoke to the sky but without injuries, the authorities said Monday night.
The teams of the United States Coast Guard and firefighters in the city of Baltimore were among those who responded to the incident, and the fire was extinguished on the ship still movement, said the non -commissioned officer of the first -class coast guard Matthew West.
The cause of the explosion and posterior fire were under investigation, he said. The video of the scene showed that the black smoke still left the boat, which according to the authorities is called W-Sapphire.
The cargo ship transported coal on a outgoing channel from the port of Baltimore, near the site of the Key bridge of Francis Scott last year, West said.
In a statement, the Fire Department of the city of Baltimore described that the location was in the “Patapsco River near the old site of the key bridge”.
He said that 23 people were aboard 751 “in bulk” and none reported injuries. However, the ship was “showing signs of damage consistent with a fire and explosion.”
The Coast Guard and the Fire Department said the incident was reported around 6:30 pm
The authorities maintained a 500 -yard security zone around the cargo ship. That could prevent vessel traffic through the main shipping channel, which has been described as 700 feet wide.
On March 26, a cargo ship went to the Key bridge of Francis Scott, causing partial collapse and killing six people, including road workers who had been at the top of the structure.
