"I was sleeping when I heard this explosion, journalist Yusuf Omar, who is aboard the flotilla, told The Independent. A big explosion happened right next to our diesel tank The neighboring boats spotted a drone coming in. Another eyewitness told the outlet: I saw a drone dropping a bomb on us. There was a fire on the front deck that we fought. It is out now. Everybody's safe."
"But Tunisian officials have expressed frustration at the claim that the boat was targeted by a drone. Houcem Eddine Jebabli, a spokesperson for the Tunisian national guard, told AFP that those reports have no basis in truth. He added that preliminary findings suggested the blaze started in a stack of life jackets, possibly triggered by a cigarette. The flotilla set sail from Barcelona on Aug. 31, carrying food, water, and medicine, in what activists call the largest civilian maritime mission of the war."
Activists' footage shows Greta Thunberg's Gaza-bound boat in the Global Sumud Flotilla was rocked by an explosion and then caught fire off the Tunisian coast, forcing abandonment. The Portuguese-flagged vessel carrying the flotilla's steering committee suffered fire damage but no injuries were reported. Activists claim a suspected drone struck the ship, and eyewitnesses described an explosion near the diesel tank and a drone dropping a bomb. Tunisian authorities dismiss the drone claim, saying preliminary findings point to a fire ignited in a stack of life jackets, possibly by a cigarette. The flotilla departed Barcelona on Aug. 31 carrying aid and aims to challenge Israel's naval blockade.
Read at www.mediaite.com
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