Carrying a "dangerous cargo", an explosion forces the crew of a container ship to abandon it in the Red Sea

An explosion struck a Hong Kong-flagged container ship Tuesday as it headed north through the Red Sea, sparking a major fire that forced the crew to abandon ship, shipping industry officials said, The Associated Press reported.

The ship was adrift and on fire about 225 kilometres (140 miles) off the coast of Hodeidah, a port city in Yemen controlled by the country's Houthi group, said Diablos Group, a shipping company.

Another shipping industry official told The Associated Press that the ship was abandoned and the crew was later rescued unharmed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the incident.

The official described the cargo on board as "dangerous," without immediately elaborating. The name of the ship was not released.

Reuters quoted two maritime sources as saying that the crew of the Hong Kong-flagged ASL Bauhinia had left the ship in the Red Sea after a fire broke out on Tuesday, adding that the cause of the fire was not yet clear.

The two sources said that another ship rescued the crew and that they were fine, and explained that the incident occurred in open waters off Yemen.

Source: Associated Press + Reuters