VIDEO: Moscow River Cruise Boat Ravaged by Blazing Fire

Police sources say a passenger cruise boat, the Sergei Abramov, at a Moscow’s Northern river port was ravaged and destroyed by fire while firefighters struggled for 13 hours to extinguish the blaze. Four people were injured, and one remains missing as a result of the incident.

The three-deck Sergei Abramov caught fire early on Monday morning and was quickly engulfed by the fire, causing it to list. Preliminary investigations reveal that the fire might have been ignited by defective electric wiring or fire-safety violations.

Watch below for footage from the fire.

Around 20 people and 16 crewmembers were aboard the cruise ship when the fire broke out around 3:00 am. Most were taken from the vessel unharmed, but four sustained injuries, and one remains unaccounted for. It is believed that the majority of the people were in the ship’s restaurant when the fire was discovered.

Fire teams and rescue boats were involved in the difficult firefighting operation. Although the fire has been put out, the drama for the Sergei Abramov is not over. Salvage teams are involved to prevent the ship from sinking due to incoming water and to stop any fuel leakage.

The Sergei Abramov was believed to be a secure cruising boat, and had become very popular amongst Russians for pleasure cruises. Unfortunately, the incident is just the latest in a string of disasters to hit Russian river vessels throughout 2011.

As a result of the fire, investigators in Moscow and fire officials are carrying out fire safety checks on all other moored boats in the area.