Russia says tanker crew rescued in Black Sea after attack set ship ablaze

MOSCOW, Oct 6 (Reuters) – Emergency crews on Tuesday rescued the 23-member crew of a Liberian-flagged tanker, the Aframax Rio, which was set ablaze off Russia’s Black Sea coast after coming under attack from an unmanned vessel, the Russian Transport Ministry said.

The ministry, in a report posted on Telegram, said the crew was made up entirely of Indian nationals. It said there were no injuries.

The ministry said firefighters had sufficient means to tackle the blaze once it became less intense.

Russian regional authorities in the settlement of Sirius had earlier reported the fire aboard the tanker. Beaches in the settlement in Russia’s south Krasnodar region were closed to the public, the authorities said.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Barbara Lewis, Ron Popeski and Cynthia Osterman)