CARACAS, Venezuela — A Greek-owned freighter caught fire in the Caribbean on Christmas Day, killing nine crew members and injuring five others, authorities said.
The Aegean Wind was carrying more than 37,000 tons of iron ore from Brazil to Houston when a blaze broke out in the mess hall before dawn Friday, according to the vessel’s owner, Piraeus-based Atlantic Bulk Carrier Management Ltd.
The cargo ship was about 100 miles north of Venezuela at the time.
“We don’t know if (crew members) died from asphyxiation or burns, but the (ship) commander has confirmed to us that they did die,” Venezuelan navy Adm. Carlos Maximo Aniasi Turchio told state television.
He said five crew members were taken by helicopter to Margarita Island to be transferred to a hospital in Caracas.
