This archive report was first published on 26 August 2019.
On August 22, a devastating fire broke out on the Russian river cruise ship Pyotr Tchaikovsky, resulting in the loss of one life and the evacuation of 320 people, according to a report by Fontanka published on August 22.
The ship was docked in St. Petersburg, Russia, when the fire began in the cabin of one of the ship's mechanics, although the origin of the fire remains unclear, Fontanka reported. A separate report by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty suggested that the fire started in the ship's engine room.
Firefighters faced a challenging rescue operation, having to cross through another ship, the Sergey Diaghilev, which was docked next to the Pyotr Tchaikovsky, according to Fontanka's report.
Two passengers on the Sergey Diaghilev, who were woken up by an announcement over their ship's intercom at 5:15 a.m. local time, told The New Zealand Herald that they waited on the shore for an hour as about a dozen fire trucks and six ambulances arrived at the scene and a man was carried by them on a stretcher.
"It's been a harrowing experience," one of the passengers told The New Zealand Herald.
