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2 hurt in ship explosion in Atlantic Ocean flown to Azores

Posted at 12:40 PM, Apr 26, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-26 12:43:15-04

Authorities say two crew members injured in an explosion aboard a ship in the Atlantic Ocean have been flown to Portugal's Azores Islands.

The U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement Wednesday that they were flown from the Tamar after an explosion in the 623-foot Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier's storeroom killed two other crew members Monday. The cause is unknown.

The Coast Guard says a Portuguese aircrew flew the injured crew members with three New York Air National Guard pararescuers to Terceira Island. A Portuguese Air Force jet is set to fly the injured to Lisbon for treatment.

The explosion occurred when the ship headed from Baltimore to the Azores was about 1,300 miles (2,092 kilometers) east of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.