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IN BRIEF: What is known about sinking of Ursa Major cargo ship in Mediterranean Sea

According to reports, fourteen crew members were rescued and two are missing

© REUTERS/ Yoruk Isik

MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. Russia's Ursa Major cargo ship sank in the Mediterranean Sea after an explosion in the engine room, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Crisis Management Center said.

The Russian vessel sank in international waters. Fourteen crew members were rescued and two are missing.

TASS has gathered the main information about the incident.

Circumstances of shipwreck

- Spain’s El Espanol newspaper reported that the Russian vessel had capsized in international waters between the Spanish Autonomous Community of Murcia and Algeria.

- The ship left St. Petersburg about two weeks ago, heading to the port of Vladivostok, where it was expected on January 22.

- According to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Crisis Management Center, the Ursa Major ship, which belongs to the SK-Yug company, sank after a blast occurred in the engine room.

Crew members’ fate

- Fourteen of the ship’s 16 crew members were rescued, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Crisis Management Center said.

- They were brought to the port of Cartagena in the Spanish region of Murcia.

- Two people went missing.

Cargo ship

- The Ursa Major is a cargo ship built in 2009.

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