Yacht catches fire at Dubai Marina

Dubai: A yacht caught fire near to Dubai Marina at about 4pm on Thursday, confirmed a Civil Defence official.

The fire was brought under control at about 4:49pm, said the official and witnesses in the area.

Major Ali Al Mutawa, Director of the Dubai Civil Defence Operations Room, classified the accident as moderate. No injuries were reported as per initial investigation.

It took firefighters about 12 minutes to reach the area as it was few miles away from the dock and close to Le Méridien Mina Seyahi, he said, while adding that the yacht's engine was on when the fire broke out.

An Asian worker jumped off the privately-owned yacht when the fire broke, said the official. The yacht was gutted in the blaze, he said.

"So far, we don’t know the cause of the fire. It is still being investigated, but it looks like it's coming from the top side of the yacht," he said.

According to Sundeep Ramachandran, a resident at Dubai Marina, thick black smoke surrounded the area.