ATHENS, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) — Nine seamen went missing after the Greek cargo ship they were working on caught fire early Friday off the coast of Venezuela, said sources with the Greek coast guard.

There were 24 crew members on the Greek ship “Aegean Wind,” which is owned by the Greek shipping company Atlantic Bulk Carriers. Nine of the crew are Greek nationals.

Of those reported missing, three are Greeks and the rest of them are from other countries. No information was available about their nationalities.

The ship was transporting iron ore from Brazil to the United States.

Rescue operations are underway to evacuate other crew members from the  ship.