Eight seriously injured in fire on freighter in port of Hamburg

Eight people sustained serious injuries in a fire that broke out on a freighter in the port of Hamburg, the fire brigade in the northern German city said on Sunday.

Seven of them have been hospitalized, including a firefighter, it said. The eighth person was treated by paramedics at the scene of the incident.

The fire broke out on Sunday afternoon in the cargo hold of the approximately 90-metre-long ship at Grevenhofkai pier.

When the first emergency responders arrived, smoke was rising from the stern of the ship. By that time, the crew had already begun to fight the flames, according to the fire brigade.

Some 80 emergency officers were deployed to the scene for about three hours.

Firefighters fought the blaze using multiple hoses while wearing protective gear to shield against the smoke. Water was supplied by a firefighting boat, among other sources.

Divers also provided additional safety support for the emergency crews.

After the fire was extinguished, follow-up operations and inspections were conducted.

Once the firefighting operations were complete, the fire department handed the scene over to the police, who are investigating the cause of the fire.