(Washington) A container ship anchored off Canada’s Pacific coast was on fire and emitting poisonous gas, authorities said on Saturday.
The boat, the Zim Kingston, is anchored in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, south of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, the Canadian Coast Guard said in a statement on their website.
“An emergency zone has been established […] around the anchored container ship Zim Kingston, ”the same source added. “The ship is in flames and gives off poisonous gas,” it was pointed out.
The container ship is carrying more than 52 tons of chemicals loaded into two of the containers that caught fire, CBC reported citing the coast guard.
Ten crew members were evacuated, according to the same sources.