Three Dead after Cruise Ship Engineroom Fire

Three people are reported dead after cruise ship Oceania Insignia suffered an engineroom fire at dock in Port Castries on the island of St Lucia in the Caribbean.

One crewmember and two contractors died in the incident, while the vessel’s 656 passengers were evacuated safely and the fire contained. 

The Insignia had departed San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sunday for a 10-day cruise and was scheduled to arrive in Miami on 17 December. The remainder of the cruise has been cancelled. 

The ship was built in 1998 and underwent a multimillion-dollar refurbishing earlier this year.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has indicated that it is sending officials to help with the investigation which is being led by the Marshall Islands, where the ship is registered.