At least one person has died and nearly two dozen people have been rescued as crews on Thursday battled a massive fire on board a freighter carrying nearly 3,000 cars in the North Sea.
The blaze broke out Wednesday and so far 23 people have been rescued from the ship, some who suffered serious injuries, the Dutch coast guard said.
The vessel was sailing from the German port of Bremerhaven to Singapore, about 17 miles north of the Dutch island of Ameland, officials reported.
On Thursday about 4:15 a.m. local time the fire continued to rage, the coast guard said, as crews worked save the vessel from sinking close to an important habitat for migratory birds.