Ferry loaded with fuel sinks at Russian port after Ukrainian attack

MOSCOW (Reuters) -A ferry loaded with fuel tanks sank in the Russian port of Kavkaz in southern Krasnodar region on Thursday after a Ukrainian attack, local authorities said.

The ferry carrying 30 fuel tanks, as confirmed by Fyodor Babenkov, district head of the town of Temryuk which includes the port, sustained significant damage as a result of the attack, which caused a fire.

Seventeen crew members were rescued from the ferry, the Krasnodar region governor said on his Telegram channel. The rescue operation is ongoing, and the whereabouts of two additional crew members was unknown, he said.

Ukraine has not immediately commented on the incident.

Russian state news agency TASS, citing the ministry of transport, reported that all port employees were evacuated.

A local task force said a special train to tackle the fire had been sent to the site. More than 100 people were engaged in tackling the blaze.

Several Russian media outlets have shared images and videos that appear to depict the blaze and plumes of black smoke rising from the ship. Reuters could not immediately verify the videos.

The fire did not spread to the premises of the port, TASS reported.

The port of Kavkaz is one of Russia's largest outlets on the Black Sea. It handles ships both for exports and for fuel supplies to Crimea.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Maxim Rodionov and Ksenia Orlova; Editing by Kirsten Donovan, David Holmes and Jonathan Oatis)