Carnival Splendor Catches Fire Mid-Cruise - Passengers Flown Home

(CNN) -- A cruise ship with nearly 3,300 passengers on board was
stranded off the coast of Mexico Tuesday after it lost power following an engine
room fire, Carnival Cruise Lines said in a statement.


The fire occurred about 6 a.m. Monday in the aft engine room of the Carnival
Splendor, the cruise line said in a Monday night statement posted on its
website. The blaze was extinguished and no passengers or crew were injured.


However, engineers were not able to restore power to the ship, which was
operating on auxiliary generators Monday, the statement said.


"Currently, several key hotel systems, including air conditioning, hot food
service, flushing toilets and telephones are not available," the cruise line
said. "The ship's crew is actively working to restore partial services."


There was no further update besides Monday's statement.


The voyage -- a seven-day cruise along the Mexican Riviera that departed
Sunday from Long Beach, California -- was terminated, Carnival said. Tugboats
were en route to the ship, located off the Mexican coast about 150 miles south
of San Diego, California, and would tow the vessel to Ensenada, Mexico "in an
effort to get the guests home as quickly as possible."


Guests will receive a full refund and reimbursement for transportation costs,
and will also receive a complimentary future cruise equal to the amount they
paid for this voyage, Carnival said.


Announcements advising guests of the situation began early Monday, the cruise
line said. Guests initially were asked to move from their cabins to the open
upper deck areas of the ship, but later were given access to their cabins and
were able to move about the ship, Carnival said. Bottled water and cold food
items were being provided.


The vessel is in contact with the U.S. Coast Guard, which said in a Monday
statement it was responding to reports of a fire and had dispatched three
cutters and an HC-130 Hercules aircraft, among other vehicles.


"We know this has been an extremely trying situation for our guests and we
sincerely thank them for their patience," Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of
Carnival Cruise Lines. "Conditions on board the ship are very challenging and we
sincerely apologize for the discomfort and inconvenience our guests are
currently enduring. The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority
and we are working to get our guests home as quickly as possible."


The ship's normal itinerary included stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The 952-foot Panamanian-flagged ship is carrying 3,299 guests
and 1,167 crew members, according to the cruise line and the Coast Guard.