At least 11 people have died in a fire involving
two Tanzanian-flagged cargo vessels in the Black
Sea near the Kerch Strait.
Russian rescuers are trying to reach sailors who
jumped overboard. Fourteen people have so far
been rescued.
One ship is a gas tanker, and the fire reportedly
followed an explosion, which set the other vessel
on fire.
They were named as the Kandy, with a crew of 17
from Turkey and India, and Maestro, with 14 sailors.
The fire broke out when one vessel was transferring
fuel to another, Russian maritime agency
spokesman Alexei Kravchenko said, adding that this
had then forced several crew members to jump
overboard.
Rescue workers reportedly witnessed a further three
people struggling in the water, who most likely had
drowned.
AFP news agency said that "no signal from either
one of the two captains" had been received.
Authorities in the Crimean city of Kerch are now
preparing to receive the victims.
The crew members were sailing in "neutral waters"
in the Black Sea when the incident occurred,
authorities said.
The Kerch Strait is a focus of tension between
Russia and Ukraine.
In November, Russian border guards seized three
Ukrainian naval vessels near the narrow channel,
which links the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov.
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