Nine killed in Christmas Day ship blaze

A Greek-owned freighter caught fire in the Caribbean off Venezuela's coast on Christmas Day, killing nine crew members and injuring five others, Venezuelan authorities said.

The Aegean Wind was carrying more than 37,000 tons of iron ore from Brazil to Houston, Texas, when a blaze broke out in the mess hall before dawn local time, according to the vessel's owner, Piraeus-based Atlantic Bulk Carrier Management.