Fire breaks out on Azamara Quest cruise ship, injuring five crew members

By Dan Askin, Cruise Critic, NBC News and msnbc.com staff

Updated at 5:12 a.m. ET: A fire broke out in the engine room of luxury cruise liner Azamara Quest as the ship was steaming for Malaysia Friday, disabling its engines and leaving it drifting off the coast of Borneo in Indonesia. Five crew members were injured.

According to a statement from Azamara Club Cruises posted on its Facebook page, the blaze started at approximately 8:19 p.m. ship's time (8:19 a.m. EDT) while Quest was en route from Manila, Philippines, to Sandakan, Malaysia..

Five crew members suffered smoke inhalation and were being treated in the ship's medical facility, a statement late Friday said. One crew member needs "urgent medical attention" at a hospital.

Azamara Club Cruises said the fire was contained to the engine room and was quickly extinguished.

The company said it would be offering passengers a full refund for the cruise and was planning to cancel the rest of the cruise once the ship reached Sandakan. The company's president and CEO Larry Pimentel was planning to fly to Sandakan to meet passengers personally.

Royal Caribbean International said there were approximately 300 Americans on board out of a total of 617 guests, NBC reported. Azamara Club Cruises is a member of the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Late Friday, the cruise line said engineers aboard the ship had restored power to one of the ship's engines. "This additional power has permitted the ship to re-establish air conditioning, running water, plumbing, refrigeration and food preparation onboard for the comfort of our guests and crew," a statement said.

"While the ship does not have propulsion capabilities at this time, it is in the process of being repaired." It said the ship was approximately 200 miles off the coast of Balikpapan (Borneo), Indonesia, in calm seas.

Quest was on a 17-night sailing that departed Hong Kong, China, on Monday, March 26, and included port calls to Manila, Philippines; Sandakan (Sabah), Malaysia; Palapo (Sulawesi), Benoa (Bali), Semarang and Komodo, Indonesia and was meant to conclude in Singapore on Thursday, April 12.