Sailors killed after ships catch fire in Kerch Strait

Fourteen people were killed and at least five missing after two vessels sailing under the flag of Tanzania caught fire in Kerch Strait near Crimea, authorities said.

Rescuers pulled 12 people alive from the water and recovered 11 bodies.

A further three bodies were spotted but were not recovered.

"Another three people went under water before rescue workers' eyes," Alexei Kravchenko said, adding that they are most likely dead.

The ships, the Kandy and the Maestro, had crews of nationals from India and Turkey. The Kandy had a 17-strong crew, while the Maestro carried 14 people.

Twelve people survived, Kravchenko said, but "no one knows where the other five people are."

Russian media reported that one of the vessels was hit by an "explosion" and people on board jumped into the water to escape the blaze.

The Federal Agency for the Sea and River Transport said the fire erupted while fuel was being pumped from one tanker to another.

"A search-and-rescue operation is continuing," Kravchenko added.

The accident struck close to the Kerch Strait, which has become a new flashpoint in tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

The strait between Russia-annexed Crimea and southern Russia controls access from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea, where there are both Russian and Ukrainian ports.

In November, Russia arrested three Ukrainian navy vessels and their crews in the Kerch Strait, raising tensions between the two countries.

The confrontation was the first open military incident between Kiev and Moscow since 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea.