Khaberni - The Iraqi authorities announced in the early hours of Thursday that two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel were subjected to attacks of unknown origin within the Iraqi territorial waters, leading to the outbreak of fire on both tankers, the death of one of the crew members of one of the tankers, and the ongoing search for missing persons.
The Director General of the Iraqi Ports Company, Farhan Al-Fartousi, told the official Iraqi News TV - according to Agence France-Presse - about "the death of one of the crew members of the large oil tanker that was targeted," noting that "we still do not know the nature of the explosion that occurred in the tankers."
Reuters reported that a preliminary investigation by the Iraqi authorities concluded that two Iranian mines boats collided with the fuel tankers, leading to their ignition, and it was reported that port security officials in Iraq confirmed the killing of a foreign crew member in the attack on the tankers.
Dozens rescued
Al Jazeera correspondent Hafez Mreibah reported that the number of people rescued later rose to 38, after the Director General of Iraqi ports told Al Jazeera that 25 foreign sailors aboard the targeted tankers had been rescued and were in good health.
