An engineer of a merchant ship docked at Larnaca port was admitted to Larnaca general hospital on Monday night after inhaling smoke from a fire that broke out in the hold of the vessel, fire brigade spokesperson Andreas Kettis said on Tuesday.

“At first glance it appears that the fire was caused by a mechanical/electrical problem with the tracked vehicle,” he said.

According to Kettis, the fire had broken out in the hold of the vessel, which was transporting large quantities of soybeans, and was caused by a crawler excavator placed in the hold to collect the goods.

The fire department responded to the fire with three fire engines at 10.50pm on Monday night and later moved the excavator to an open area using the ship’s crane in cooperation with the crew of the vessel and the ports authority.

An investigation into working conditions on the ship is set to be conducted by the labour inspection office and the police later today.