MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

No casualties in private boat fire off Buenos Aires

The black smoke could be seen from various parts of Buenos Aires

All three occupants of a boat that caught fire Tuesday morning off Buenos Aires were rescued alive and in good condition, the Argentine Coast Guard (Prefectura Naval Argentina - PNA) reported.

 The private boat had set sail from San Fernando in the northern outskirts of the Argentine capital and was bound for the Uruguayan port of Punta del Este when it caught fire at around 9 am local time.

Several rescue ships and a helicopter with life-guarding swimmers on board were deployed by the PNA, which coordinated the rescue operation and communicated with boats sailing nearby, one of which rescued the members.

“We carried out an operation before the fire of the vessel Azimut III, in the River Plate, in front of Aeroparque. It had departed from San Fernando with three crew members on board who were rescued by boats that were in the area,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.

The causes of the fire are still under investigation, it was also reported. The Azimut III is 9.9 meters long, 3.5 meters wide, and 1.40 meters high.

The survivors were first transferred to the Coast Guard Vessel Service building, according to Rio de la Plata Traffic Control Center Chief Alfredo Zappa. “Luckily the three crew members are on land, in apparent good health,” he told TN.

After first-aid care, the victims were taken to a hospital in Buenos Aires for further testing as a precaution.

In the meantime, the Coast Guard's GC-70 Río de la Plata and SB-8 (of the PNA's Rescue, Fire, and Environmental Protection Service) put down the flames. The black smoke could be seen from various parts of Buenos Aires.