Cargo ship carrying nearly 3,000 cars catches fire, leaves one dead

A large cargo ship carrying nearly 3,000 vehicles caught fire last night off the Dutch coast, killing one crew member and injuring several others. The vessel, named Fremantle Highway, was fully evacuated via other boats and helicopters, but as of now, the Dutch Coast Guard is saying that the fire is still ablaze as emergency workers attempt to put it out.

Reuters reports that about 350 of the vehicles onboard the ship are Mercedes-Benz products. However, it’s still not confirmed what the rest of the vehicles are. Reports say that of the approximately 3,000 vehicles, 25 of them are electric.

The cause of the fire is unclear for now, as various official statements and media reports conflict with each other. The Coast Guard’s official live blog for the incident states “the cause of the fire is still unknown.” Meanwhile, Reuters is reporting that a Coast Guard spokesperson told the publication that the fire “began near an electric car.” To add even more confusion to the story, Sky is reporting that a coastguard spokesperson said, “an electric car was the suspected source of the blaze.”

We’ve contacted the Dutch Coast Guard to try and get some answers of our own and will update this post with any additional information.