Coal carrier catches fire on Rhine River

A fire broke out on a self-propelled coal-carrying barge anchored on the Rhine River in Duisburg, Germany, on the morning of Tuesday, February 12.

The blaze erupted in the engine room of the 86-metre-long Sequana at 10:17 local time and quickly spread to the accommodation area.

The vessel’s crew of two sent out a distress call after they had failed in their efforts to contain the fire on their own.

The local fire service despatched two boats and a firefighting team to evacuate the barge’s crew and to put out the blaze.

Firefighters were finally able to extinguish the blaze by late afternoon. No injuries have been reported.