Fire on Channel ship

A fire has broken out on board a cargo ship in the middle of the English Channel.

Rescue services were called to put out the fire on the steel-carrying Sea Riss which started at about 1900 GMT on Thursday in the engine room.

There were six crew on board the boat, which was on its way from Dunkirk to Northfleet, but it is understood no-one was injured.

An RAF rescue helicopter was sent to fly firefighters from the Kent Fire Service in Manston to help tackle the fire.

Damp down

The fire crews was winched on board the ship at about 2050 GMT.

A Royal Navy vessel and a coastguard helicopter were scrambled to deal with the incident.

A coastguard tug from Dover was also sent to the boat which was about 14 miles from Ramsgate.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the ship's master tried to damp down the fire in the engine room compartment while the rest of the crew gathered on the deck.

Another firefighting team from Kent were on standby at the shore in case further assistance was needed.