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Ship in Dubai explodes, causing enormous blast

A container ship anchored in Dubai caught fire on Wednesday and exploded, causing an enormous blast that was felt across the city, according to officials and witnesses. 

The vessel was anchored in Jebel Ali port in the United Arab Emirates’ main commercial hub when the blaze broke out just before midnight, according to a tweet from Dubai’s state-run media office and witnesses. 

“The fire is under control and there are no deaths or injuries as a result of the accident,” the office wrote, adding Dubai Civil Defense teams were responding. 

Cell phone video taken from Dubai high rises show an enormous, orange fireball erupting in the night sky when the explosion happened, sending tremors as far away as 15 miles from the port, witnesses said. 

The extent of the damage, and if any surrounding cargo were impacted, was not immediately clear. 

The Jebel Ali port, the largest in the Middle East and one of the biggest in the world, handles cargo from Africa and Asia and is operated by DP World. 

It has four container terminals that can handle some of the globe’s biggest vessels. 

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