Uruguayan firefighters stand by covered bodies on the deck of the Ukranian fishing vessel 'Simeiz' in Montevideo, Uruguay, Thursday, June 23, 2005.[AP]

    BEIJING, June 24 -- Firefighters on Thursday recovered the badly burned remains of eleven men, including nine Chinese, killed aboard a Ukrainian-flagged fishing vessel that caught fire in the port near Uruguayan capital.

    The "Simeiz," carrying a crew of 39, caught fire before dawn Wednesday in the harbor alongside the Uruguayan capital. But authorities said they had to wait until flames were out to board the vessel for fear that flammable refrigerants used in onboard freezers might explode.

    A spokesman for the firefighters, Jorge Roqueta, said the victims were found in their bunks and that the bodies were so badly burned that it was difficult to identify the remains.

¡¡Roqueta said the dead included nine Chinese, an Indonesian and a Ukrainian. Other crew safely accounted for included Peruvians, Spanish and Russian workers, he added.

    The fire on the ship, a modern vessel nearly 200 feet long, sent black plumes high over Montevideo's harbor.

A Uruguayan firefighter boat works on the Ukrainian fishing boat "Simaiz", in Montevideo, Uruguay, June 22, 2005. The Uruguayan firemen found remains of 11 crew members, including nine Chinese, of Ukrainian ship Simaiz, which caught fire in Montevideo harbor, Fire Department Public Relations Chief Jorge Roqueta told Xinhua on Thursday.  (Xinhua Photo)

    Uruguayan firefighters stand by covered bodies on the deck of the Ukranian fishing vessel 'Simeiz' in Montevideo, Uruguay, Thursday, June 23, 2005.[AP] 

Roqueta said authorities were only beginning to investigate the fire, which swept through about 40 percent of the vessel but did not reach the engine room or the command deck.

    The ship arrived in port on Monday. Montevideo is a busy port for ships heading to and from fishing grounds off southernmost South America.

(Source: China Daily/Agencies)