More than 30 injured people have been pulled ashore by the British coastguard after an oil tanker and a cargo ship collided off the coast of East Anglia, PA Media and DPA reported, BTA reports.
Clouds of black smoke are rising into the air after the collision off the coast of East Yorkshire. So far, 32 injured people have been pulled ashore, but some crew members are still missing.
The condition of the injured remains unclear. Footage from the incident showed at least one vessel on fire and plumes of black smoke billowing from the tanker.
The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency said a rescue helicopter, rescue and firefighting vessels and a plane had been dispatched from nearby towns.
The crash was reported at 9:48 a.m. (11:48 a.m. local time).
The tanker, believed to be the US-flagged chemical and oil tanker MV Stena Immaculate, was at anchor at the time of the collision, according to ship tracking website Vessel Finder. It was hit by the container ship Solong (Solong), which had left the port of Grangemouth, Scotland, for Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
The chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, Martin Boyers, told PA Media that 13 people were initially brought ashore on the catamaran “Windcat 33”, followed by a further 19 people.
Boyers said that according to the information received at the scene of the collision there was “a huge fireball”. From his statement it was understood that a flotilla of ambulances had arrived at the scene to take away anyone they could find.
“I am concerned about the collision between two vessels in the North Sea this morning and am in contact with officials and the coastguard for further developments. "I would like to thank all the emergency services involved for their tireless efforts in relation to the incident," said UK Transport Minister Heidi Alexander.