Ships in flames after North Sea crash, 1 missing

Coast Guard officials in the United Kingdom called off the search for a missing crew member as fires continued to burn aboard two vessels following a collision between a cargo ship and an oil tanker in the North Sea, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.

The crash on Monday morning between the cargo vessel and a tanker carrying jet fuel for the United States military off England's eastern coast ignited both ships, causing multiple explosions and forcing both crews to abandon ship.

The incident sparked a major rescue operation involving lifeboats, Coast Guard aircraft and commercial vessels in the North Sea. Environmental concerns have been raised about the impact on wildlife after it was confirmed that jet fuel had been released into the sea, the BBC reported.