Fire kills one on Greek ship adrift in Arabian Sea

A Greek sailor died and another was injured in a fire that broke out aboard a freighter adrift in the Arabian Sea, Greek and Indian officials said Wednesday.

The nighttime blaze aboard the Greek-flagged bulk carrier Faneromeni with 18 people on board claimed the life of its 55-year-old second engineer, a Greek coastguard source told AFP.

The ship's 26-year-old third engineer will require hospitalisation for smoke inhalation, the source said.

The blaze which broke out in the engine room has since been put out.

The ship was sailing without cargo from Abu Dhabi to Port Elizabeth in South Africa.

Greek state agency ANA said Indian authorities were handling the incident and had asked nearby ships to assist.

An Indian Coast Guard official told AFP that they immediately alerted and diverted two merchant vessels for assistance after receiving a distress call from the cargo vessel.

"Indian Coast Guard is coordinating rescue and search operations," the official said.

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