‘Out of control’ fire aboard a massive car-carrier ship spotlights the calamitous consequences of electric vehicles
A Daily Mail article out yesterday reported that at least one crew member had died while “many” others were injured, while another outlet identified the site of the chaos as a priceless ecological gem. From ABC News:
Its location is close to a chain of Dutch and German islands popular with tourists in the shallow Wadden Sea, a World Heritage-listed area described by UNESCO as ‘the largest unbroken system of intertidal sand and mud flats in the world’ and ‘one of the most important areas for migratory birds in the world.’
Daily Mail noted:
The Fremantle Highway [the ship] is close to Ameland, one of four ecologically sensitive Frisian islands, situated in the Waddensee [sic] area just north of the Dutch mainland.
Also called the Frisian Islands, the area has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has a rich diversity of more than 10,000 aquatic and terrestrial species.
This included more than 140 species of fish of which some 20 spent their entire life in the tidal areas along the islands' famous mud flats. The area also has a large seal and porpoise population.
Should the Fremantle Highway sink, ‘it would be a disaster of the highest order,’ the daily tabloid De Telegraaf said.
The tragedy is still unfolding, so the cause of the fire either isn’t known or hasn’t been made public, but per BBC:
The coastguard said the cause of the fire was unknown, but had earlier suggested it might have been an electric car.
Gee, who woulda thunk it?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment