At least three people were killed and up to 14 others feared dead after they were trapped by flames and scorching heat on a boat during a fire at Ghana's main port of Tema on Friday, government and port officials said. Firefighters had put out the blaze on the Greek vessel and recovered three bodies but they had to call off the search because the heat from its metal hull was still too intense hours after the flames were extinguished. One charred body lay on the deck, witnesses said. The dead were taken to the morgue, with ambulances on stand by at the port waiting for more victims. Ben Owusu-Mensah, director-general of the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority, said he believed 17 people had been trapped onboard the MV Polaris and there was no chance any of them had survived. "The heat from the steel alone would kill them," he said. Port workers said two people jumped to safety from the vessel, which was docked for repairs, as the fire started at around 1030 GMT. Plumes of smoke wafted across the port as flames leapt from pipes and patches of oil on the water. --More 2208 Local Time 1908 GMT
