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Officials initially said the Aegean Wind would be taken to Venezuela's Margarita Island. But Adm. Carlos Maximo Aniasi Turchio, the navy commander, said the Greek government authorized the ship to be towed to the Texas port, its original destination.
Rafael Lugo, commander of Venezuela's Maritime support and rescue agency, said 10 surviving crew members, including the captain, and the bodies of the dead were still on board because rough seas made it tricky to evacuate the vessel. Five crew members who suffered burns were flown by Venezuelan military helicopter to Margarita Island after Friday's fire. The admiral described them as in stable condition. The Aegean Wind was carrying more than 37,000 tons of iron ore from Brazil to Houston when the blaze broke out before dawn about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from La Blanquilla island, some 350 kilometers (217 miles) northeast of Caracas. The cause had not been determined. Six of the dead were from the Philippines, and three were from Greece. 25/Dec/2009 A fire on board a Greek cargo ship off the Caribbean coast of Venezuela has killed nine members of the crew. The blaze reportedly broke out early on Friday in an engine room of the Aegean Wind and spread upwards. The vessel, which was carrying iron ore from Brazil to Texas, was about 160km (100 miles) north of Venezuela, near Margarita Island. Venezuela's navy helped in the rescue. Five injured people were airlifted and taken to hospital on the mainland. Admiral Carlos Maximo Aniasi, commander of Venezuela's navy, said the blaze had spread upward on the vessel which had a 24-strong crew. "Nine bodies were found in different compartments of the Greek ship," he told Venezuelan state media. The bodies belonged to nine sailors - six Filipinos and three Greeks - reported missing earlier in the day. Two Philippine nationals suffered third-degree burns on their face and hands and three Greek crewmates had less severe burns, said Rafael Lugo, the national commander of Venezuela's Maritime Rescue and Aid service. The 10 surviving crew members, including a woman, were on the deck, Mr Lugo told Reuters news agency. The cause of the blaze was unknown and the Aegean Wind would be towed to Margarita, Adm Aniasi added.
News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8430663.stm 
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A Greek cargo ship damaged by a fire that killed nine crew members in the Caribbean is being towed to Houston for repairs, Venezuelan authorities said Saturday.
AEGEAN WIND
