Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ships ablaze off Crimea after explosion

At least 11 people have died in a fire involving two Tanzanian-flagged cargo vessels in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait, authorities say.

Russian rescuers are trying to reach sailors who jumped overboard. Fourteen people have so far been rescued.

One ship is a gas tanker, and the fire reportedly followed an explosion, which set the other vessel on fire.

They were named as the Kandy (Venice), with a crew of 17 from Turkey and India, and Maestro, with 14 sailors.

The fire broke out when one vessel was transferring fuel to another, Russian maritime agency spokesman Alexei Kravchenko said, adding that this had then forced several crew members to jump overboard.

Rescue workers reportedly witnessed a further three people struggling in the water, who most likely had drowned.

AFP news agency said that "no signal from either one of the two captains" had been received.

Authorities in the Crimean city of Kerch are now preparing to receive the victims.

The crew members were sailing in "neutral waters" in the Black Sea when the incident occurred, authorities said.

The names of the two vessels, the Venice and the Maestro, both appear on a US treasury list as possible targets for sanctions over petroleum shipments to Syria.

The US tightened sanctions against Syria back in 2011 in response to what it said was President Bashar al-Assad's "continued atrocities" committed against the Syrian people.

The Kerch Strait is a focus of tension between Russia and Ukraine.

In November, Russian border guards seized three Ukrainian naval vessels near the narrow channel, which links the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov.

A court in Russia has extended by three months the detention of 24 Ukrainian sailors captured in the incident. They are accused of illegally crossing into Russian territory.

Ukraine condemned the Russian move, denying that its ships had violated the navigation laws in the area. The strait lies off Ukraine's Crimea peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.</s>Two ships in the Kerch Strait near Crimea caught fire on Monday when an explosion occurred, forcing crew members to jump into the sea, officials say. At least 11 people were killed.

The explosion happened on late Monday afternoon when a vessel transporting liquefied natural gas was transferring cargo to another ship south of Crimea, according to Interfax.

A total of 31 crew members were on board the Tanzania-flagged vessels, including citizens from India and Turkey. Some of them were forced to jump into the sea to escape the flames.

Eleven bodies were recovered by 9:30 p.m. and 8 others remain unaccounted for. Interfax said 12 crew members were rescued, some of whom were suffering from burns and hypothermia.

The cause of Monday’s explosion was not immediately known.</s>Two ships caught fire in the Kerch Strait near Crimea on Monday evening and a rescue operation was underway, Russian's transport ministry said.

The ministry, citing rescuers, said crew members were jumping into the sea to escape the flames.

Crew members of the two ships totaled 31 and included citizens of Turkey and India, it said.</s>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Ten crew members have been found dead and 14 have been rescued after two ships caught fire in the Kerch Strait near Crimea, Russian’s transport ministry told Reuters on Monday, with a rescue operation still underway.

The ministry said earlier on Monday that crew members were jumping into the sea to escape the flames. The two ships had 31 crew members in total, mostly citizens of Turkey and India, it said.</s>Fourteen crew members were killed and five are missing after two ships caught fire in the Kerch Strait near Crimea on Monday, authorities said, with a rescue operation still underway.

"There are 11 bodies," Alexei Kravchenko, spokesman for Russia's Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport, told AFP.

"Another three people went under water before rescue workers' eyes."

Those three are most likely dead, he said.

The blaze on the two ships, unleashed by an explosion, occurred off the southern coast of Crimea, at the entrance to the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

The ships, Candy (Venice) and Maestro, both bore Tanzanian flags and one was a gas tanker. They were crewed by 31 people — 16 Turkish nationals and 15 Indian nationals.

Twelve people survived, Kravchenko said, but "no one knows where the other five people are."

The fire broke out when one vessel was transferring fuel to the other, driving both crews to jump overboard, said Kravchenko. Reports said some who jumped overboard suffered burn wounds and hypothermia.

Authorities in the Crimean city of Kerch were preparing to receive the victims, he added.

The Kerch Strait between Russian-annexed Crimea and southern Russia controls access from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea, where there are both Russian and Ukrainian ports.

Ships must often wait weeks before being allowed to pass through the Kerch Strait to the Sea of Azov. Ukraine has alleged that ships that want to sail on to Ukrainian harbors are hassled by Russian authorities.

In November, Russia detained three Ukrainian navy vessels and their crews in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait, fuelling tensions between the two countries. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.</s>Ten crew members have been found dead and 14 have been rescued after two ships caught fire in the Kerch Strait near Crimea, Russia's transport ministry said on Monday, with a rescue operation still underway.

The blaze on the two ships, unleashed by an explosion which probably broke out during a ship-to-ship fuel transshipment, occurred off the southern coast of Crimea, at the entrance to the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

The ships, Candy (Venice) and Maestro, both bore Tanzanian flags and one was a gas tanker. They were crewed by 31 people — 16 Turkish nationals and 15 Indian nationals.

Those aboard one of the burning vessels saved themselves by diving into the water, some of them suffering burn wounds and others hypothermia.

An industry source told Reuters there were stormy conditions in the sea when the incident happened.

The Kerch Strait between Russian-annexed Crimea and southern Russia controls access from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea, where there are both Russian and Ukrainian ports.

Ships must often wait weeks before being allowed to pass through the Kerch Strait to the Sea of Azov. Ukraine has alleged that ships that want to sail on to Ukrainian harbors are hassled by Russian authorities.

In November, Russia detained three Ukrainian navy vessels and their crews in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait, fuelling tensions between the two countries. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.</s>Ten crew members have been found dead and 14 have been rescued after two ships caught fire in the Kerch Strait near Crimea, Russian’s transport ministry told Reuters on Monday, with a rescue operation still under way.

The ministry said earlier on Monday that crew members were jumping into the sea to escape the flames. Both ships were under the Tanzanian flag – Candy (Venice) and Maestro – and had a combined total of 31 crew members. Of them, 16 were Turkish citizens and 15 from India, it said.

The ministry said the fire probably broke out during a ship-to-ship fuel transhipment.

The Kerch Strait which controls access from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea has been at the centre of tensions between Ukraine and Russia following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. In November, Russia seized three Ukranian naval ships in the strait after what it called a “provocation”. – Reuters</s>MOSCOW — Ten crew members have been found dead and 14 have been rescued after two ships caught fire in the Kerch Strait near Crimea, Russia’s transport ministry said on Monday, with a rescue operation still underway.

The ministry said earlier on Monday that crew members were jumping into the sea to escape the blaze, which probably broke out during a ship-to-ship fuel transhipment.

READ MORE: Russia seized Ukrainian ships and sailors, then blamed ‘banditry’. Here’s what you need to know

Both ships were under the Tanzanian flag — Candy (Venice) and Maestro — and had a combined total of 31 crew members. Of them, 16 were Turkish citizens and 15 from India, it said.

An industry source told Reuters there were stormy conditions in the sea when the incident happened.

The Kerch Strait between Russian-annexed Crimea and southern Russia controls access from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea, where there are both Russian and Ukrainian ports.

In November, Russia detained three Ukrainian navy vessels and their crews in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait, fueling tensions between the two countries. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.</s>Two ships are on fire in the Kerch Strait which separates Crimea from mainland Russia, Russian officials said. According to reports, one of the sea vessels was rocked by an explosion, the cause of which remains unknown.

 One vessel was “allegedly struck by a blast,” which caused a fire that then spilled over to another ship, an official with the Russian Maritime and River Transport Agency said.

 Clouds of black smoke can be seen billowing over a vessel engulfed by a blaze on YouTube footage, which claims to show the scene of the incident. Another ship can be seen floating nearby, although it is unclear, if it caught on fire as well.</s>Ten crew members have been found dead and 14 have been rescued after two ships caught fire in the Kerch Strait near Crimea, Russia’s transport ministry said on Monday, with a rescue operation still underway.

The ministry said earlier on Monday that crew members were jumping into the sea to escape the blaze.

Both cargo ships were under the Tanzanian flag – Candy (Venice) and Maestro – and had a combined total of 31 crew members. Of them, 16 were Turkish citizens and 15 from India, it said. A search was underway for seven missing crew members.

An industry source told Reuters there were stormy conditions in the sea when the incident happened.

The Federal Agency for the Sea and River Transport said the blaze erupted while fuel was being pumped from one vessel to another.

The Kerch Strait between Russian-annexed Crimea and southern Russia controls access from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea, where there are both Russian and Ukrainian ports.

In November, Russia detained three Ukrainian navy vessels and their crews in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait, fuelling tensions between the two countries. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
At least 11 crew members are killed after two ships caught fire, as one vessel was transferring fuel to the other, in the Kerch Strait near Crimea.