Hurricane Maria closed in on the US Virgin Islands late Tuesday as the US National Hurricane Center warned of a &quot;potentially catastrophic&quot; impact from a storm that has already killed at least two people in the Caribbean.

Winds packing 160 miles (255 kilometers) an hour were already lashing the US islands as Maria barreled westwards, forecast to make landfall Wednesday before heading to Puerto Rico.

&quot;Preparations against life-threatening storm surge and rainfall, flooding and destructive winds should be rushed to completion,&quot; the NHC said, warning the eye of the Category Five hurricane was approaching St Croix, one of the US Virgin Islands.

On St John Island, locals reported seeing trees swirling in the wind, with rain pouring &quot;sideways&quot; as Maria continued on its path of destruction after battering the island of Dominica and other territories in the eastern Caribbean.

Arriving just as islanders are struggling to recover from devastating Hurricane Irma, which struck earlier this month, Maria claimed two victims in the French territory of Guadeloupe, where two other people were missing.

One person was killed by a falling tree as powerful winds whipped the archipelago, authorities said, while another died on the seafront. Two more disappeared when their boat went missing in the storm.

Judi Buckley, former senator for St Croix Island, traveled to St John from her South Carolina home to help with the Irma relief effort -- only to get caught up in Maria.

&quot;We have become the Irma relief hub and our brothers and sisters across the pond can&#39;t afford for us to be crippled,&quot; she said, referring to those on St Croix.

On neighboring Dominica, premier Roosevelt Skerrit posted on Facebook that there were initial reports of &quot;widespread devastation&quot;, with official communications to the island completely cut off in the wake of the storm.

The airport and ports have been closed on the tropical island of 72,000 people.

St Martin, a French-Dutch island that was among the worst hit by Irma with 14 dead, was under a maximum &quot;violet&quot; alert, with people ordered to stay indoors.

A similar measure was in place in the British Virgin Islands.

&quot;Our islands are extremely vulnerable right now,&quot; the territory&#39;s premier Orlando Smith said in a statement, warning that the storm could turn debris left by Irma into dangerous projectiles.

On Puerto Rico, Governor Ricardo Rossello described Maria as &quot;the worst storm of the last century.&quot;

Schoolteacher Noemi Aviles Rivera, 47, who experienced Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and Georges in 1998, said: &quot;I&#39;m not denying I&#39;m scared. I feel worried because it&#39;s the first time I&#39;ll see a hurricane of this magnitude.&quot;

&nbsp;&#39;Everything is shaking&#39; 
 
Guadeloupe was serving as a base for aid flights to Irma-hit French territories after the hurricane, and there were fears that major damage there could hamper the relief operation. Authorities announced a driving ban, with several areas around the largest city Pointe-a-Pitre flooded and fallen trees blocking many roads.&nbsp;

Some 40 percent of households in the territory of 400,000 were without power.

&quot;Everything around me is shaking,&quot; former French minister Victorin Lurel told BFMTV from his home in the south of the island.&nbsp;

The Dominican Republic, whose east coast was battered by Irma, ordered citizens in part of the north to evacuate ahead of Maria&#39;s arrival.

St Kitts and Nevis, the British island of Montserrat, and the Puerto Rican islands of Culebra and Vieques were also on alert.

Preparing for the worst 
 
Britain, France and the Netherlands boosted resources for the Caribbean ahead of the storm, after facing accusations that they were ill-prepared for the damage done by Irma in their overseas territories.&nbsp;

&quot;We are planning for the unexpected, we are planning for the worst,&quot; said Chris Austin, head of a UK military task force set up to deal with Irma.

France said 110 more soldiers would be deployed to the region after widespread complaints of looting and lawlessness on St Martin after Irma.

Building supplies were hurriedly flown in to help islanders repair roofs torn off by Irma as Maria approached.&nbsp;

Hurricane series 
 
Irma left around 40 people dead altogether in the Caribbean before churning west and pounding Florida, where the toll of deaths linked to the hurricane rose to 58 on Tuesday.

The hurricane broke records when it whipped up winds of 295 kilometers per hour for more than 33 hours straight.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the lethal sequence of hurricanes was &quot;one of the direct consequences of global warming.&quot;&nbsp;

Macron hosted US President Donald Trump in Paris in July when he sought to persuade the US leader to reconsider his decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord.

Many scientists are convinced that megastorms such as Irma are intensified by the greater energy they can draw from oceans that are warming as a result of climate change. 
&nbsp;

Hurricane Maria closed in on the US Virgin Islands late Tuesday as the US National Hurricane Center warned of a 'potentially catastrophic' impact

Hurricane Maria closed in on the US Virgin Islands late Tuesday as the US National Hurricane Center warned of a "potentially catastrophic" impact from a storm that has already killed at least two people in the Caribbean. Winds packing 160 miles (255 kilometers) an hour were already lashing the US islands as Maria barreled westwards, forecast to make landfall Wednesday before heading to Puerto Rico. "Preparations against life-threatening storm surge and rainfall, flooding and destructive winds should be rushed to completion," the NHC said, warning the eye of the Category Five hurricane was approaching St Croix, one of the US Virgin Islands. On St John Island, locals reported seeing trees swirling in the wind, with rain pouring "sideways" as Maria continued on its path of destruction after battering the island of Dominica and other territories in the eastern Caribbean. Arriving just as islanders are struggling to recover from devastating Hurricane Irma, which struck earlier this month, Maria claimed two victims in the French territory of Guadeloupe, where two other people were missing. One person was killed by a falling tree as powerful winds whipped the archipelago, authorities said, while another died on the seafront. Two more disappeared when their boat went missing in the storm. Judi Buckley, former senator for St Croix Island, traveled to St John from her South Carolina home to help with the Irma relief effort -- only to get caught up in Maria. "We have become the Irma relief hub and our brothers and sisters across the pond can't afford for us to be crippled," she said, referring to those on St Croix. On neighboring Dominica, premier Roosevelt Skerrit posted on Facebook that there were initial reports of "widespread devastation", with official communications to the island completely cut off in the wake of the storm. The airport and ports have been closed on the tropical island of 72,000 people. St Martin, a French-Dutch island that was among the worst hit by Irma with 14 dead, was under a maximum "violet" alert, with people ordered to stay indoors. A similar measure was in place in the British Virgin Islands. "Our islands are extremely vulnerable right now," the territory's premier Orlando Smith said in a statement, warning that the storm could turn debris left by Irma into dangerous projectiles. On Puerto Rico, Governor Ricardo Rossello described Maria as "the worst storm of the last century." Schoolteacher Noemi Aviles Rivera, 47, who experienced Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and Georges in 1998, said: "I'm not denying I'm scared. I feel worried because it's the first time I'll see a hurricane of this magnitude." 'Everything is shaking' Guadeloupe was serving as a base for aid flights to Irma-hit French territories after the hurricane, and there were fears that major damage there could hamper the relief operation. Authorities announced a driving ban, with several areas around the largest city Pointe-a-Pitre flooded and fallen trees blocking many roads. Some 40 percent of households in the territory of 400,000 were without power. "Everything around me is shaking," former French minister Victorin Lurel told BFMTV from his home in the south of the island. The Dominican Republic, whose east coast was battered by Irma, ordered citizens in part of the north to evacuate ahead of Maria's arrival. St Kitts and Nevis, the British island of Montserrat, and the Puerto Rican islands of Culebra and Vieques were also on alert. Preparing for the worst Britain, France and the Netherlands boosted resources for the Caribbean ahead of the storm, after facing accusations that they were ill-prepared for the damage done by Irma in their overseas territories. "We are planning for the unexpected, we are planning for the worst," said Chris Austin, head of a UK military task force set up to deal with Irma. France said 110 more soldiers would be deployed to the region after widespread complaints of looting and lawlessness on St Martin after Irma. Building supplies were hurriedly flown in to help islanders repair roofs torn off by Irma as Maria approached. Hurricane series Irma left around 40 people dead altogether in the Caribbean before churning west and pounding Florida, where the toll of deaths linked to the hurricane rose to 58 on Tuesday. The hurricane broke records when it whipped up winds of 295 kilometers per hour for more than 33 hours straight. French President Emmanuel Macron said the lethal sequence of hurricanes was "one of the direct consequences of global warming." Macron hosted US President Donald Trump in Paris in July when he sought to persuade the US leader to reconsider his decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord. Many scientists are convinced that megastorms such as Irma are intensified by the greater energy they can draw from oceans that are warming as a result of climate change.

'Potentially catastrophic' Maria eyes Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico

Luis Fonsi who is riding high on the worldwide success of his song Despacito has more happy news in store. He has been named as an ambassador&nbsp;for tourism in Puerto Rico.&nbsp;

The 39-year-old singer was born in Puerto Rico&#39;s capital city of San Juan where he wrote the song featuring Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee for his upcoming studio album.&nbsp;

The track has topped the charts in 45 countries, and a remix featuring Justin Bieber became the first song sung mostly in Spanish to top the Billboard Hot 100 since the Bayside Boys Mix song &quot;Macarena&quot; in 1996.

<h2>Also Read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/meet-despacito-star-luis-fonsi-370">Meet Luis Fonsi, the man behind &quot;Despacito&quot;</a></h2>

The song is also the most-streamed song in the world, reaching global streams of more than 4.5 billion in July.

Its original video recently became the most watched on YouTube in history after just seven months, and currently, has 3.2 billion views.&nbsp;

With a growing follower base for the song, Puerto Rico&#39;s governor Ricardo Rossello has announced that Fonsi will be working with a tourism company to promote travel to the country.&nbsp;Puerto Rico has already experienced a tourism boost thanks to the song, the title of which means &quot;slowly&quot;. The campaign is encouraging visitors to take their time experiencing the country.

Fonsi said: &quot;In the next year I will be working on efforts to make known the wonders of our beautiful island.&nbsp;Being an ambassador of the land where I was born fills me with pride.&quot;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding:8px;">
<div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;">
<div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BWNTOFBB4b0/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">&iexcl;Qu&eacute; bueno ver noticias positivas en mi pa&iacute;s! Felicito a los residentes de la comunidad de La Perla por unirse en este esfuerzo. #LaPerlaPintaSuFuturo Gracias a #Despacito, yo soy parte de ustedes. &iexcl;Nos vemos pronto! #LaPerla ??????</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Luis Fonsi (@luisfonsi) on <time datetime="2017-07-06T14:04:59+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Jul 6, 2017 at 7:04am PDT</time>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

(WION)

&nbsp;

Ever since the song became a chartbuster worldwide, the country has experienced a massive tourism boost

Luis Fonsi who is riding high on the worldwide success of his song Despacito has more happy news in store. He has been named as an ambassador for tourism in Puerto Rico. The 39-year-old singer was born in Puerto Rico's capital city of San Juan where he wrote the song featuring Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee for his upcoming studio album. The track has topped the charts in 45 countries, and a remix featuring Justin Bieber became the first song sung mostly in Spanish to top the Billboard Hot 100 since the Bayside Boys Mix song "Macarena" in 1996. Also Read: Meet Luis Fonsi, the man behind "Despacito" The song is also the most-streamed song in the world, reaching global streams of more than 4.5 billion in July. Its original video recently became the most watched on YouTube in history after just seven months, and currently, has 3.2 billion views. With a growing follower base for the song, Puerto Rico's governor Ricardo Rossello has announced that Fonsi will be working with a tourism company to promote travel to the country. Puerto Rico has already experienced a tourism boost thanks to the song, the title of which means "slowly". The campaign is encouraging visitors to take their time experiencing the country. Fonsi said: "In the next year I will be working on efforts to make known the wonders of our beautiful island. Being an ambassador of the land where I was born fills me with pride." ¡Qué bueno ver noticias positivas en mi país! Felicito a los residentes de la comunidad de La Perla por unirse en este esfuerzo. #LaPerlaPintaSuFuturo Gracias a #Despacito, yo soy parte de ustedes. ¡Nos vemos pronto! #LaPerla ?????? A post shared by Luis Fonsi (@luisfonsi) on Jul 6, 2017 at 7:04am PDT × (WION)

Popular song 'Despacito' singer Luis Fonsi named as Puerto Rico's new tourism ambassador

Will the vote matter?

Charles R. Venator-Santiago, University of Connecticut

The 2017 Plebiscite for the Immediate Decolonization of Puerto Rico was held on June 11. This is <a href="https://theconversation.com/puerto-rico-votes-on-statehood-fifth-times-the-charm-75975">the fifth vote</a> on the political status of Puerto Rico since the United States annexed the island in 1898.

Only 23 percent of the 2,260,804 registered Puerto Rican voters <a href="http://resultados2017.ceepur.org/Noche_del_Evento_78/index.html#en/default/CONSULTA_DESCOLONIZACION_Resumen.xml">participated</a>. This is in stark contrast to the <a href="http://64.185.222.182/REYDI_Escrutinio12/index.html#en/default/OPCIONES_NO_TERRITORIALES_ISLA.xml">last plebiscite</a> held in 2012 &ndash; in which 1,363,854 people, or 78.19 percent of registered voters, cast a ballot.

This year&rsquo;s results were as follows:

The statehood option received 502,616 votes, or 97.18 percent of the votes cast.

The sovereignty/independence option received 7,779 votes, or 1.5 percent.

The current territorial status option received 6,821 votes, or 1.32 percent.

Moreover, this plebiscite was not authorised or certified by the U.S. Department of Justice or Congress, which throws its impact into question. Although the U.S. DOJ did not offer any reasons for not certifying the plebiscite, the most likely reason is a dispute over the language of the ballot, which was the subject of <a href="http://www.noticel.com/uploads/gallery/documents/fa26731a26c7e725e180e729574ed49e.pdf">a memorandum</a> the DOJ sent to the Governor of Puerto Rico in April.

Given the low voter turn-out and the failure of the U.S. DOJ to certify the plebiscite, Congress is likely to ignore the outcome of this vote &ndash; much as it did in 2012.

Voters fail to turn out

Carlos Vargas-Ramos, City University of New York

The overwhelming majority of eligible voters in Puerto Rico chose not to participate.

The June 11 vote brought out the second lowest turnout rate of all electoral contests <a href="http://209.68.12.238/cgi-bin/municipios.pl">conducted in Puerto Rico since 1967</a>. This is unusual in a political system in which turnout in general elections has ranged between <a href="http://209.68.12.238/cgi-bin/eventos.pl">78 and 89 per cent of registered voters</a>. Three of the four political parties that participated in the elections of November 2016 called for a boycott of this plebiscite &ndash; which seems to have had a large impact.

Moreover, the low turnout in this plebiscite follows on the heels of another historically low-turnout election in 2016, in which only <a href="http://elecciones2016.ceepur.org/Escrutinio_General_77/index.html#es/default/GOBERNADOR_Resumen.xml">55 percent of voters turned out</a>. The results from these elections are but a reflection of, not simply the economic crisis Puerto Rico is facing, but of the political crisis it is facing as well.

Calls for protest and action

Jossianna Arroyo, University of Texas Austin

Many who boycotted the vote believed the plebiscite&rsquo;s cost &ndash; more than <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/puerto-rico-holds-vote-sunday-statehood-amid-criticism-over-timing-n770496">US$8 million</a> neglects the needs of <a href="https://www.childtrends.org/left-behind-povertys-toll-on-the-children-of-puerto-rico/">citizens living in precarious economic conditions</a> in Puerto Rico.

After Puerto Rico declared bankruptcy in 2006, the government entered into a process of &ldquo;debt analysis&rdquo; and arbitration, directed by a financial control board <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/business/dealbook/puerto-rico-debt.html">appointed by President Obama</a>. The board recommended, among many measures, to cut US$300 million to $500 million from the Puerto Rican state government budget. That would mean a 30 per cent cut to the <a href="https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/nota/discutenrecortesde120millonesparalaupr-2288254/">administrative budget</a> of the University of Puerto Rico.

In <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/03/28/thousands-university-students-go-on-strike-in-puerto-rico.html">March 2017</a>, students, faculty and staff went on strike, <a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/05/20/529309138/students-at-puerto-ricos-largest-university-continue-strike-amid-shutdown">closing the gates</a> of the 11 public campuses on the island.

Many Puerto Ricans view the government as subservient to this board, some <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/249146-what-a-federal-financial-control-board-means-to-puerto">representatives</a> of which have been connected to Wall Street. <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/249146-what-a-federal-financial-control-board-means-to-puerto">Critics feel</a> these board members may be motivated by a desire to make money, or threaten the island&rsquo;s sovereignty. While students and faculty protests continue, all campuses are now opened and classes resumed. Still, the fate of the University of Puerto Rico is not clear. Faculty, students and staff are taking matters into their own hands.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/79242/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />On May 24, representatives of the Board of Students met with members of the Financial Control Board to present <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/students-are-now-leading-the-resistance-to-austerity-in-puerto-rico/">a plan to negotiate debt</a> and build a possible consensus for an open and democratic university, which will be able to continue as the top rated public institution on the island. It was the first time the Financial Control Board met with a collective of citizens. The students believe that the promise of a more democratic future for Puerto Rico will not happen via traditional polls or call to the electorate, but with an active mobilization of all citizens.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="http://theconversation.com/puerto-rico-votes-on-statehood-polls-and-protests-79242">original article</a>.

&nbsp;

Recent plebiscite on Puerto Rico's statehood was not authorised or certified by the U.S. Department of Justice or Congress, which throws its impact into question.

Will the vote matter? Charles R. Venator-Santiago, University of Connecticut The 2017 Plebiscite for the Immediate Decolonization of Puerto Rico was held on June 11. This is the fifth vote on the political status of Puerto Rico since the United States annexed the island in 1898. Only 23 percent of the 2,260,804 registered Puerto Rican voters participated. This is in stark contrast to the last plebiscite held in 2012 – in which 1,363,854 people, or 78.19 percent of registered voters, cast a ballot. This year’s results were as follows: The statehood option received 502,616 votes, or 97.18 percent of the votes cast. The sovereignty/independence option received 7,779 votes, or 1.5 percent. The current territorial status option received 6,821 votes, or 1.32 percent. Moreover, this plebiscite was not authorised or certified by the U.S. Department of Justice or Congress, which throws its impact into question. Although the U.S. DOJ did not offer any reasons for not certifying the plebiscite, the most likely reason is a dispute over the language of the ballot, which was the subject of a memorandum the DOJ sent to the Governor of Puerto Rico in April. Given the low voter turn-out and the failure of the U.S. DOJ to certify the plebiscite, Congress is likely to ignore the outcome of this vote – much as it did in 2012. Voters fail to turn out Carlos Vargas-Ramos, City University of New York The overwhelming majority of eligible voters in Puerto Rico chose not to participate. The June 11 vote brought out the second lowest turnout rate of all electoral contests conducted in Puerto Rico since 1967. This is unusual in a political system in which turnout in general elections has ranged between 78 and 89 per cent of registered voters. Three of the four political parties that participated in the elections of November 2016 called for a boycott of this plebiscite – which seems to have had a large impact. Moreover, the low turnout in this plebiscite follows on the heels of another historically low-turnout election in 2016, in which only 55 percent of voters turned out. The results from these elections are but a reflection of, not simply the economic crisis Puerto Rico is facing, but of the political crisis it is facing as well. Calls for protest and action Jossianna Arroyo, University of Texas Austin Many who boycotted the vote believed the plebiscite’s cost – more than US$8 million neglects the needs of citizens living in precarious economic conditions in Puerto Rico. After Puerto Rico declared bankruptcy in 2006, the government entered into a process of “debt analysis” and arbitration, directed by a financial control board appointed by President Obama. The board recommended, among many measures, to cut US$300 million to $500 million from the Puerto Rican state government budget. That would mean a 30 per cent cut to the administrative budget of the University of Puerto Rico. In March 2017, students, faculty and staff went on strike, closing the gates of the 11 public campuses on the island. Many Puerto Ricans view the government as subservient to this board, some representatives of which have been connected to Wall Street. Critics feel these board members may be motivated by a desire to make money, or threaten the island’s sovereignty. While students and faculty protests continue, all campuses are now opened and classes resumed. Still, the fate of the University of Puerto Rico is not clear. Faculty, students and staff are taking matters into their own hands. On May 24, representatives of the Board of Students met with members of the Financial Control Board to present a plan to negotiate debt and build a possible consensus for an open and democratic university, which will be able to continue as the top rated public institution on the island. It was the first time the Financial Control Board met with a collective of citizens. The students believe that the promise of a more democratic future for Puerto Rico will not happen via traditional polls or call to the electorate, but with an active mobilization of all citizens. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Puerto Rico votes on statehood: Polls and protests

Hundreds of people were rescued from a smouldering&nbsp;passenger ferry ship that caught fire off Puerto Rico on&nbsp;Wednesday, the US Coast Guard said. 
 
The Coast Guard and local police brought ashore all 512 passengers&nbsp;and crew from the American Cruise Ferries vessel that was burning&nbsp;about two miles (3.2 km) off of San Juan, Puerto Rico&#39;s capital,&nbsp;the Coast Guard said in a statement. 
 
Rescue crews worked for hours to remove passengers and ferry&nbsp;employees, the last of whom disembarked just after 2 pm. EDT&nbsp;(1800 GMT), the Coast Guard said. They were transported to San&nbsp;Juan. 
 
The fire, which was reported at about 7:40 am EDT, began in the&nbsp;engine room of the ship and spread to other compartments on board,&nbsp;the Coast Guard said. 
 
&quot;Everyone has been safely removed from the ship,&quot; the Coast Guard&nbsp;said. 
 
Smoke billowed from several parts of the large white ferry as an&nbsp;inflatable orange rescue slide was activated, images posted by 
Puerto Rico police on social media showed. 
 
The 561-foot-long (171-meter-long) ferry, en route to the&nbsp;Dominican Republic, eventually ran aground about 800 feet 
offshore, the Coast Guard said. 
 
American Cruise Ferries takes tourists from San Juan to Santo&nbsp;Domingo, Dominican Republic, according to the travel company&#39;s 
website. 
 
Coast Guard officials could not be reached for further comment. 
 
(Reuters)

The fire began in the?engine room of the ship and spread to other compartments

Hundreds of people were rescued from a smouldering passenger ferry ship that caught fire off Puerto Rico on Wednesday, the US Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard and local police brought ashore all 512 passengers and crew from the American Cruise Ferries vessel that was burning about two miles (3.2 km) off of San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital, the Coast Guard said in a statement. Rescue crews worked for hours to remove passengers and ferry employees, the last of whom disembarked just after 2 pm. EDT (1800 GMT), the Coast Guard said. They were transported to San Juan. The fire, which was reported at about 7:40 am EDT, began in the engine room of the ship and spread to other compartments on board, the Coast Guard said. "Everyone has been safely removed from the ship," the Coast Guard said. Smoke billowed from several parts of the large white ferry as an inflatable orange rescue slide was activated, images posted by Puerto Rico police on social media showed. The 561-foot-long (171-meter-long) ferry, en route to the Dominican Republic, eventually ran aground about 800 feet offshore, the Coast Guard said. American Cruise Ferries takes tourists from San Juan to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, according to the travel company's website. Coast Guard officials could not be reached for further comment. (Reuters)

More than 500 rescued from burning ferry fire off Puerto Rico

puerto-rico

Puerto Rico, News on Puerto Rico, stories on Puerto Rico, articles on Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico stories at Wion, Puerto Rico news, Puerto Rico latest news

puerto rico

'Potentially catastrophic' Maria eyes Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico

Popular song 'Despacito' singer Luis Fonsi named as Puerto Rico's new tourism ambassador

Puerto Rico votes on statehood: Polls and protests

More than 500 rescued from burning ferry fire off Puerto Rico