Ferry Carrying 500 People Catches Fire Near San Juan, Puerto Rico
A passenger ferry with hundreds of passengers caught fire off Puerto Rico on Wednesday, and the U.S. Coast Guard and local crews were rescuing people aboard, officials said.
U.S. Coast Guard and local police were helping more than 500 passengers and crew members on the American Cruise Ferries vessel burning about one mile off of San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital, the Coast Guard said on Twitter.
Some 50 people remained on the boat and awaited rescue by about 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT), the Coast Guard said.
No deaths or injuries were immediately reported. The cause of the fire was not known.
Smoke billowed from several parts of the large white ferry as an inflatable orange rescue slide was activated, images posted by Puerto Rico police on social media showed.
American Cruise Ferries takes tourists from San Juan to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, according to the travel company's website.
Coast Guard officials could not immediately be reached for further comment.
(Reporting by Laila Kearney in New York)
