Video: 11 sailors dead after 2 ships catch fire near Crimea; Indian crewmen may be among casualties 

Eleven sailors have been found dead and 14 rescued after two ships caught fire in the Kerch Strait near Crimea. Indian crewmen may be among the dead.

Both ships were flying the Tanzanian flag.

PTI quoted the Russian news agency Tass as saying one of the ships, the Candy, had a 17-member crew, including nine Turkish citizens and eight Indian nationals.

The other ship, the Maestro, had a 15-member crew, including seven Turkish nationals, seven Indian citizens and an intern from Libya.

Reuters meanwhile quoted Russia's transport ministry as saying the two ships had a combined total of 31 crew members, 16 of whom were Turkish nationals, and 15 Indian.

One of the ships was a liquefied natural gas carrier, the other a tanker. News reports Tuesday said the fire probably broke out as the ships were transferring fuel from one to the other.

"Presumably, an explosion occurred (on one of the vessels). Then the fire spread to another vessel. A rescue tug is en route," PTI quoted a spokesman for the Russian Maritime Agency as saying.

Reuters reported Russia's transport ministry as saying earlier that crew members jumped into the sea to escape the fire.

Reuters reported an industry source as saying the sea had been stormy when the fire broke out.

Reuters added that the severe weather conditions had prevented rescue ships from taking the victims to shore for medical treatment.

The Kerch Strait between Russian-annexed Crimea and southern Russia controls access from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea, where there are both Russian and Ukrainian ports.

In November, Russia detained three Ukrainian navy vessels and their crews in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait, fuelling tensions between the two countries. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

(With inputs from agencies)