42 rescued from fishing boat on fire at sea

HONOLULU – Forty-two people forced to abandon a 89-metre fishing boat after it caught fire Wednesday were rescued about 2900km south of Hawai‘i in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, the Coast Guard said.

A Coast Guard rescue crew reached the scene around to find 33 people form the US fishing vessel American Eagle in two life rafts, three work boats and a skiff. The captain and eight crew members had re-boarded the ship and managed to put out the fire and restore electricity and communications, the Coast Guard said.

The Fong Seong 888, a Tuvalu-flagged oil tanker diverted to assist in the rescue, took the remaining 33 people on board.

No injuries were reported, the Coast Guard said

- NBC News