Dubai authorities probe port explosion that shook the city

Civil defence firefighters at the scene of a blaze that broke out at Dubai's main port of Jebel Ali following an explosion

Dubai authorities were Thursday investigating an explosion on a container ship carrying flammable materials, which unleashed a fireball at one of the world's busiest ports and sent shockwaves through the city. Firefighters rushed to the scene at Jebel Ali Port to tackle the blaze that broke out on a large vessel stacked with containers which authorities said had been preparing to dock. Flames and smoke poured from the ship but authorities said it was doused within 40 minutes and that there were no casualties, with all 14 crew members evacuated in time before the explosion. ‘Thank God, everything is safe. But this is a natural accident that happened in one of the containers, which was also carrying some flammable materials. There was no other reason,’ Mona Al Marri, director of the Dubai Media Office, told Al-Arabiya television.