Russian ship blaze victims mourned

7 Jun, 2008 23:32 / Updated 16 years ago

Sunday has been made an official day of mourning in Russia's Kaliningrad region to mark the deaths of the nine sailors killed after an explosion on a cargo ship.

The blast happened on Thursday afternoon at the naval port of Baltiysk. It’s believed that it may have been an oxygen tank which exploded while the ship, the Yenisey, had been undergoing repairs. It took firefighters more than six hours to put out the blaze. Two of the bodies were only recovered on Saturday. According to officials, the bodies still require identification. Three other people on board were wounded. A criminal case has been launched to find those responsible for the tragedy.