Fire-fighters have still been unable to bring totally under control a fire which has engulfed a Turkish cargo container ship in the Adriatic, sector sources said.
The fire aboard the 'Und Adriyatic broke out Wednesday morning when the ship, en route from Istanbul to Trieste, was about 16km off the Istrian in the upper Adriatic.
There were initial fears that the ship could explode, creating an ecological disaster with the release of some 850 metric tons of fuel.
Local authorities said that thanks to the intervention of Italian and Croatian Canadair planes the intensity of the blaze had diminished and thus drastically reduced any chance of an explosion.
A spokesperson for the ship's owners said that the boat's cargo had been completely destroyed and that it will be very difficult to salvage the 'Und Adriyatic'.
Five people from the ship remain in hospital suffering minor injuries from the blaze. Three are members of the crew, including the captain, and the other two were passengers.
The other 31 passengers and crew were evacuated and taken to Venice on Wednesday.
Aside from the possible release of the ship's fuel, experts said there was a strong pollution risk from the dumping of special chemicals to extinguish the fire.
