The HMNZS Manawanui sank this morning after running aground on a reef near the southern coast of Upolu in Samoa last night and caught fire, according to a New Zealander on the shore.
Dave Poole, who witnessed the vessel burning, says it’s all gone while in shock.
Poole, who is on a seven-day holiday in Samoa with his wife Kara saw the news about the ship on X( formerly Twitter) at about 3.30am and drove 30 minutes from the capital Apia to the coastline this morning to watch the stricken ship one nautical mile offshore, where he met local police officers.
He says when they got there it wasn’t on fire, they watched the fire take hold and the whole infrastructure was burning pretty brightly.
Poole took a series of photos showing the last moments of the Manawanui and says the ship sunk at about 8.45am.
The Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority confirmed a fire on board and they had no equipment to battle the blaze at sea.
Source : NZ Herald
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