Navy warship catches fire

Bangladesh Navy warship BNS Umar Farooq caught fire at the Chittagong naval base on Tuesday.

The port city’s Fire Service Assistant Director Md Yahia said the fire at the Salisbury class frigate had been sparked by an electric short circuit around noon.

Two fire-fighting units, aided by naval personnel, put out the fire within 20 minutes, he said.

There were no casualties, but officials were yet to determine the extent of the damage.

The former Royal Navy ship from Britain joined the Bangladesh Navy in 1977.

It is generally used to train midshipmen and deployed to support operations off the Bangladesh coast that include anti-piracy and anti-smuggling operations, as well as search and rescue deployments.