A commercial ship carrying more than 22,000 livestock from Somalia to the United Arab Emirates caught fire and burned 30 miles off Bosaso, a port city in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland.
The Al-ayman vessel was headed to Dubai carrying more than 20,500 sheep and goats as well as 1,573 heads of cattle, all of which reportedly died.
Of the 20 crew members (6 Somalis, 6 Sudanese, 4 Indians, 3 Eritreans and the Sri Lankan captain), two are missing, according to Abdimajid Samatar Mohamed(Jaafaan), Puntland's General Director for Sea and Ports.
Despite the famine ravaging Somalia's southern regions, livestock remains a popular export to the Arab world, particularly for the upcoming Eid celebrations to mark the end of Ramadan.
Somalia Report is working to get more details and will update this story accordingly.
