Toxic Electric Fire Engulfs Ship Near Dutch Coast; 1 Killed, Many Injured

By Stefan J. Bos, with additional reporting by Johan Th. Bos in the Netherlands

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS (Worthy News) – Questions were raised Wednesday about the safety of electric cars that the European Union wants to see on roads across the 27-nation bloc as a deadly fire raged across a cargo ship carrying nearly 3,000 cars off the coast of the Dutch island of Ameland.

At least ome one sailor was dead, and 22 others were hurt, including several who jumped off the ship as the blaze rapidly spread, Dutch authorities said.

The fire appeared to have started in one or more faulty electric cars, known for their large, highly inflammable batteries, according to several Dutch sources.

A Worthy News investigation revealed that real-estate developers and local politicians were ill-prepared for a fire in electric cars that fire brigades say can rage for at least 24 hours.

In Amstelveen, the Amsterdam suburb hosting several international companies, apartment block developers, and the ruling liberal VVD party said they had to look again into the safety of underground garages where drivers of electric cars can charge their electric vehicles.

With fresh quotations raised, witnesses, including the coastguard and a Dutch NOS broadcaster flying near the area, reported the vessel had been engulfed in smoke.

Residents in Ameland said they were concerned the toxic smoke could turn into their area, raising health concerns.

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