BAGHDAD, June 1 (Reuters) – Two explosions struck a cargo vessel in the Gulf about 40 nautical miles southeast of Iraq’s Umm Qasr, one of which was caused by a drone attack, Iraqi officials said on Monday.
Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the vessel had been hit by some sort of projectile on its starboard side, causing a large explosion.
A second explosion struck the same vessel and was the result of a drone attack, according to an initial assessment, the Iraqi officials told Reuters.
The fire aboard the vessel was later brought under control, they added.
“As we were assessing the damage from the first explosion, we heard a drone hovering overhead, followed by a powerful blast that sparked a fire on the tanker,” an Iraqi maritime patrol member told Reuters.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack and no information on the identity of the vessel was available.
(Reporting by Aref Mohammed in Basra and Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad; Eman Abouhassira and Hatem Maher; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Susan Fenton)
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