The passengers of a ship had a lucky escape after fire engulfed their vessel at sea on Tuesday afternoon.

A massive rescue mission involving 30 craft came to the aid of the stricken passenger vessel, the Liaohai, after it caught fire a few kilometers off Dalian, Liaoning Province in northeast China.

"Among the rescued, 16 with slight injuries were hospitalized," said Zhang Zhixin of the Liaoning Maritime Salvage Administration.

Liaohai, belonging to Dalian Shipping Group Co Ltd was carrying 291 passengers (283 with tickets) and 49 crew, and making its daily crossing of Bohai Bay en route from Yantai.

It was nearing its destination when fire broke out. Salvage ships towed the stricken ship to a safe area near the harbor and fire fighters continued efforts to extinguish the blaze last night.

Officials are investigating the cause of the fire.

(China Daily November 17, 2004)