A ferry from the Spanish port city of Valencia to the resort island of Mallorca caught fire, leaving around 350 passengers stranded at sea for around 24 hours as they waited to be picked up by another vessel, DPA reported, quoted from BTA.
No one was injured in the incident.
The car ferry "Tenasia" set sail from Valencia on Sunday evening and was due to arrive in Mallorca on Monday morning, but midway through the route a fire broke out in the ship's engine room, Italian shipping company G Ene Vee said last night.
"Tenasia" was forced to stop and the crew initially started to fight the fire with the means on board, but were unable to extinguish the flames and on Monday afternoon the ship's captain eventually ordered an evacuation.
According to the shipping company, professional firefighters were brought in by helicopter.
The Spanish Maritime Rescue Service transferred the passengers and some of the crew, who had to put on life jackets, to two other ships nearby. People had to descend from the tall ferry through a rescue tube to small sea lifeboats.
They were then taken back to Valencia, where the damaged ferry carrying the passengers' cars and luggage was also towed.
In Valencia, people were put up in hotels overnight before they were finally transported to the holiday island with their cars and luggage on a replacement ferry today, the shipping company said.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown.