At least one crew member was killed and a number of his colleagues were injured in a fire that broke out early Wednesday on a motor ship off the Netherlands, the coast guard said.

The Coast Guard said in a statement that the concerned agencies received a distress call shortly after midnight on Tuesday (22:00 GMT) regarding a fire breaking out on board the Fremantle Highway, about 14.5 nautical miles (27 km) north of the island of Ameland, located off the coast of North Holland.

The same source pointed out that "the crew members tried to put out the fire themselves, but failed to do so. Unfortunately, one person was killed and several others injured," confirming the evacuation of the entire crew of 23.

The Coast Guard confirmed that the ship, registered in Panama, was still on fire.

And the public "NOS" channel reported that a number of rescue boats are working to put out the fire and prevent the ship from sinking.

A Coast Guard official told the channel that the authorities are "taking into account all scenarios," noting that the fire may have started as a result of one of the electric cars transported by the ship.
The "Fremantle Highway" is a car transporter with a weight of 18,500 tons and was sailing between Germany's Bremerhaven in the direction of Port Said, Egypt, according to the "Marine Traffic" website to monitor maritime navigation.