Cruise ship horror as huge fire engulfs vessel docked off coast of Corfu in Greece
A MASSIVE fire has broken out on a cruise ship off the coast of the Greek island of Corfu.
Corfu: Smoke plumes seen rising from cruise ship off the coast
Video footage shared on social media showed huge clouds of smoke billowing from the ship docked in a harbour. Flames could also be seen coming out from the side of the liner, believed to be the MSC Lirica. The blaze broke out at around 3.30pm local time on Friday (1.30pm UK time).
A spokesman for the company told Seatrade Cruise News: "A full incident response operation is currently underway with the support of the local emergency services."
And Luca Biondolillo, another spokesman for MSC Cruises, said in a statement provided to USA Today: "A fire on board MSC Lirica, which seems to be originated in an empty lifeboat on deck 6, was reported to the emergency services earlier today in Corfu where the ship is currently in warm layup."
The cruise ship has been docked at the port since March 1, according to Marine Traffic.
The ship's operator had been waiting for the cruise industry to start up again before the summer.
Reports suggest 51 crew members were on board the ship when the fire broke out. There were no passengers on board.
No injuries have been reported.
Shocked social media users said they were praying no one was hurt in the huge fire.
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One woman said she had worked on the cruise liner in the past.
She tweeted: "Sad ... wishing all the best for the crew, hoping nobody got hurt.
"Lirica was my first ship, I was muster station k leader."
A second person wrote: "Never a good thing seeing a ship on fire. Praying all crew and those assisting are safe."
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And a third tweeted: "Oh no... no more bad news for cruise industry please!
"Keeping fingers crossed for all the crew."
The global cruise industry was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic last year.
Photos from the scene showed firefighters tackling the fire from several small boats.
Hoses could be seen directing hoses at the flames which engulfed multiple floors of the ship on the starboard side.
By 4.30pm local time (2.30pm UK time) the fire was under control.
Pictures suggest the blaze inflicted extensive damage on the liner.
The ship boasts a capacity of 2,548 passengers and 752 crew members.
It measures 902 feet long and weighs 65,591 tons.
The MSC Lirica was built in 2003.