Ship carrying liquid gas burns off Jordan

AMMAN, Jordan – A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas caught fire as it unloaded Thursday in Aqaba, injuring 12 people, the manager of the Jordanian port said.

Four of the injured were firefighters, who needed an hour to bring the blaze under control, said Awwad al-Maaytah, the director general of Aqaba Port Authority. The other injured were crewmen.

The ship was promptly evacuated and towed away from the pier in the Red Sea port having unloaded only half of its cargo.

Al-Maaytah said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

AP