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Crew members found dead on ship | Crew members found dead on ship |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Two crew members have been found dead on board a container ship forced to dock at the Port of Dover in Kent. | Two crew members have been found dead on board a container ship forced to dock at the Port of Dover in Kent. |
The Latvian-registered Sava Lake had contacted Dover Coastguard on Friday night to report an incident on board. | The Latvian-registered Sava Lake had contacted Dover Coastguard on Friday night to report an incident on board. |
A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue said the deaths, which are not being treated as suspicious, were believed to have been caused by a chemical leak. | A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue said the deaths, which are not being treated as suspicious, were believed to have been caused by a chemical leak. |
The vessel, which was carrying ferrous metal from Denmark to Portugal, moored at Dover Harbour at 2150 GMT. | The vessel, which was carrying ferrous metal from Denmark to Portugal, moored at Dover Harbour at 2150 GMT. |
The ship with a seven-strong crew on board had alerted Dover Coastguard at 1905 GMT after the deceased, believed to be either Latvian or Russian, were discovered. | |
'Non-hazardous cargo' | 'Non-hazardous cargo' |
A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue said: "A specialist chemical response team was sent to identify any dangerous atmospheres on board." | |
Kent Police added that the ship's cargo was non-hazardous, and posed "no risk to the public". | Kent Police added that the ship's cargo was non-hazardous, and posed "no risk to the public". |
A spokeswoman said the force was conducting a joint investigation on behalf of the coroner with the Marine Accident Investigation Branch. | A spokeswoman said the force was conducting a joint investigation on behalf of the coroner with the Marine Accident Investigation Branch. |
Gwyn Prosser, the Labour MP for Dover who spent more than 20 years at sea, praised the coastguard and the emergency services for their prompt response. | |
But he said seafaring was still a very dangerous occupation with people going into confined spaces which had very little ventilation being one of the most common forms of death. | |
"Whatever the outcome of this inquiry, I'm sure that lessons will be learnt that might make life a little bit safer for seafarers in the future," he said. |