Ship Explodes Off Somalia

An explosion has been heard off the coast of Somalia which observers say could have come from a foreign naval vessel.

Flames and smoke were also seen off Somalia's Puntland coast around sunset on Monday.

The ship is believed to have been a naval vessel, as two foreign navy ships  helped rescue the crew. The cause of the blast is unknown as is the state of damage on the vessel, which may have sunk.

Abdi Jama, a resident of Muranyo village near Alula, told Reuters the vessel had been in the area for two days before the explosion occurred. He claims to have seen a helicopter land and take off again from the vessel some time before the explosion.

The region, near Alula in Puntland, is frequently patrolled by the European Union Naval forces to disrupt piracy and protect vulnerable shipping, including World Food Program vessels.

However, one media outlet has hypothesized that the explosion may have been from the tanker Rama 2. One of the 14 crew remains missing.

EUNAVFOR has tweeted that its vessels are not involved.