Thousands of cruise passengers were forced to evacuate from their rooms after a fire broke out onboard a ship sailing off Australia.
The blaze started on a balcony of the Pacific Adventure ship, while it was travelling off the New South Wales coast at about 3.30 am local time on Sunday, 9News reported.
Photos showed the flames bursting out of the balcony as people watch on in horror. Passengers are then seen rallied together in life jackets elsewhere on the ship.
There were no casualties and the fire was soon extinguished, however, the extent of the damage and cause is yet to be determined.
"This fire activated our emergency response procedures including a full muster of guests and crew and we thank everyone on board for their cooperation," a spokesperson said.
The ship was carrying 3 017 guests and 1080 crew, while it cruised for three days in and out of Sydney.
Meanwhile, in February, another Sydney cruise liner was forced to evacuate hundreds of passengers after a fire broke out.
About 600 people were escorted off the Viking Orion due to the blaze, which is believed to have affected three cabins.
Footage from a passenger’s phone showed smoke billowing from a window.
“We can confirm that a small fire occurred in a guest stateroom onboard the Viking Orion while the ship was docked in Sydney,” a Viking Orion spokesperson said.
Fires on cruises are very rare with just 72 fires reported on cruise ships between 1990-2011.
