A Cameroonian-flagged ship caught fire Saturday in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen after possibly being struck by a projectile, officials said, with at least one mariner missing and another still likely aboard the burning tanker after the rest of the crew abandoned the vessel.
U.K. and European Union officials offered differing opinions about what sparked the blaze on the Falcon, with the British suggesting a projectile hit it, while the EU said that it appeared to be "an accident."
They warned ships in the area that the vessel could explode, because it was "fully loaded" with liquefied petroleum gas.
The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center issued an alert about the vessel, describing the incident as taking place some 210 kilometers (130 miles) east of Aden.
"A vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile, resulting with a fire," the UKMTO said. "Authorities are investigating."
The incident comes as Yemen's Houthi rebels have been attacking ships through the Red Sea corridor. However, the rebels did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take them hours or even days to do so.