Authority reports: everything under control |
Fire on car ferry with 300 people
A fire broke out on a ferry near the small conservation island of Gotska Sandön, north of Gotland. There are 300 people on the Stena Scandica ferry. All coastguard units, vehicles, pilot vessels, helicopters and all other vehicles in the vicinity were alerted, confirmed Lisa Mjörning, spokeswoman for the Swedish Coastguard.
The Stena Scandica ferry connects the cities of Ventspils (Windau) in Latvia and Nynäshamn south of the Swedish capital Stockholm.
The SOS came in at 12:40 p.m. Lisa Mjörning: “There is smoke, but no open fire.” The fire should therefore be under control.
At 1:50 p.m. there was no information about possible injuries.
Stefan Elfstörm, spokesman for the shipping company Stena Line, told SVT, Sweden’s public TV broadcaster: “There are no reports of injuries. The fire is confined to a limited space. The fire is said to be under control, but we have been working with the Coast Guard to dispatch boats and helicopters to the ferry should an evacuation be necessary.”
Among other things, the MS Visby ferry on the way to Stena Scandica, as it has a helipad.