Twelve people were injured after a fire ignited on board a Ro-Pax ferry as it was headed for Spain's Balearic Islands on Friday, March 6.
The incident on the Cyprus-registered Golden Bridge occurred in the early morning (local time) of Friday as it was en route to Palma de Mallorca after having earlier departed Barcelona with 126 passengers, 46 crewmembers, and 52 vehicles.
The ferry's crew were able to successfully extinguish the blaze and it was able to continue sailing to its destination port under its own power. However, smoke had accumulated in the hold as the firefighting effort was ongoing, and 12 passengers suffered injuries caused by smoke inhalation.
The ferry later arrived at Palma de Mallorca with a tug, a helicopter, and a response boat from Spain's Salvamento Maritimo search and rescue agency providing escort.
The injured passengers were treated by waiting paramedics upon the ferry's arrival. Two passengers, including a three-year-old child, were reportedly in serious condition and needed to be brought to hospital.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the fire had originated in one of the embarked vehicles, which was parked on the portion of the cargo deck near the stern.