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9 Missing in Greek Ship Fire Off Venezuela

   Greek-owned cargo ship, Aegean Wind, caught fire before dawn Friday as
   it headed to Houston, Texas from Brazil

   VOA News 25 December 2009

   Officials  in  Venezuela  say  a  cargo  ship  has caught fire off the
   country's  Caribbean  coast,  leaving at least nine people missing and
   feared dead.  Five others were injured.
   Authorities  say  the  Greek-owned  ship,  "Aegean  Wind," caught fire
   before  dawn  Friday  as  it headed to Houston, Texas from Brazil with
   iron ore on board.
   Rescue operations were underway.
   It  was  not immediately clear how the fire started.  Twenty four crew
   members  were  on  board the ship - nine of them Greek and 15 from the
   Philippines.
   The vessel is owned by the Piraeus, Greece-based Atlantic Bulk Carrier
   Management company.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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