Egyptian vessel ablaze after shootout with Sinai militants

Source: AP

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian navy vessel caught fire off the coast of Sinai on Thursday after an exchange of gunshots with militants from the shore, the military said.

There were no fatalities among the vessel's crew in the shootout with "terrorists," according to a statement by the military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir, posted on his Facebook page.

Samir did not say how much damage the vessel suffered and gave no details on the type of ship or the size of its crew. However, security officials said an unspecified number of crew members suffered injuries from the fire.

A witness, fisherman Abu Ibrahim Mohammed from the neighboring Gaza Strip, said the vessel was a gunboat that was about a nautical mile off the coast when it caught fire. He did not hear the explosion but saw two smaller boats later trying to put out the fire and that a third, larger one later arrived and towed the burned vessel away. Two speed boats were seen later combing the area as gunshots occasionally rang out, he added.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/618626464bc14ec7a4c38010a95ac343/egyptian-navy-vessel-catches-fire-while-docked-sinai