Massive explosion rips through 240ft tanker Annika carrying 650 tons of oil sparking inferno near German seaside resort

A MASSIVE explosion has ripped through a tanker carrying 650 tons of oil, sparking a huge inferno near a German seaside resort.

The 240ft Annika vessel caught fire off the Baltic Sea coast early on Friday, forcing all on board to evacuate it.

@ostseewelle_de/X

An oil tanker caught fire off the Baltic Sea coast of northern Germany early on Friday[/caption]

The German Maritime Search and Rescue Service was alerted to the fire shortly after 9am local time.

All seven crew members were taken ashore an hour later but several were reportedly injured, according to German outlet Ostsee Zeitung.

The tanker was northeast of Kuehlungsborn, a seaside resort west of the port city of Rostock.

The rescue service said black smoke was visible from the coast.

Three vessels have been deployed to the burning tanker Annika in the Mecklenburg Bay to extinguish the blaze.

Several firefighting teams are also heading to the site in helicopters.

The Germany-flagged, 73-metre-long tanker was carrying around 640 tonnes of oil, according to Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies.

The vessel is at anchor and connected to a tugboat on site.

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