Fire breaks out on board huge cruise ship docked off the coast of Corfu
- Fire broke out on board cruise liner MSC Lirica around 3.30pm local time
- Videos showed two lifeboats on fire and smoke billowing from side of vessel
- Fire crews were called and brought the blaze under control around an hour later
- Tracking data shows Lirica arrived in Corfu on March 1, after sailing from Italy
A fire has broken out on board a cruise ship docked off the coast of Corfu.
Videos showed flames and black smoke billowing from the side of the MSC Lirica around 3.30pm local time on Friday.
Two lifeboats strapped to the side of the vessel could be seen in flames, though it is unclear if this is where the blaze started.
Crew members were on board the vessel at the time the fire broke out, local media reported, but it was not carrying passengers due to Covid shutdowns.
A fire has broken out on board the MSC Lirica as it sat docked off the coast of Corfu on Friday, with smoke billowing from the side of the vessel
Video showed two lifeboats attached to the side of the ship had caught fire around 3.30pm local time, before firefighting vessels arrived
It is not clear if anybody was injured in the fire or how the blaze started, Greek news site Kathimerini reported.
Fire crews were called and by around 4.30pm appeared to have brought the blaze under control, though the side of the ship was heavily damaged.
The boat had been at port in Corfu since March 1, data held by tracking site Marine Traffic showed, having sailed from the Port of Augusta in Italy.
Europe’s cruise industry has been shuttered for months as countries combat the Covid pandemic.
More to follow…