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Russian crew evacuated after fire breaks out on ferry off Japan – Consulate General

There were no reports of casualties

TOKYO, June 26. /TASS/. Russian nationals on board the ferry Angara sailing off Japan were evacuated after a fire broke out onboard on June 25, says a statement posted on Facebook (banned in Russia; owned by Meta Corporation, which is designated as extremist in Russia) by the Russian Consulate General in Niigata.

"According to Japan's maritime safety authority, a fire broke out on June 25 aboard the Angara ferry sailing from the port of Fushiki [Toyama Prefecture, Japan] to Vladivostok. The crew of 25 Russian citizens were evacuated. There were no reports of injuries," the Consulate General wrote on its Facebook page.

The diplomatic mission stays in touch with the ship’s captain and the maritime safety agency, and is taking steps to provide necessary assistance to the fellow countrymen, it said.

"The crew members have been accommodated in a hotel. They were not hurt. They have a possibility to contact their families. A consulate employee has already met with them," Russian Consul General Mikhail Sergeyev told TASS.

Earlier, Japan’s Hokkoku Shimbun reported that a car transported by the ferry might have caught fire, triggering the fire onboard. According to the paper, the ferry has a displacement of 6,330 tonnes, and is registered in Sierra Leone.

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