Cruise ship evacuated in France after fire breaks out

By ELIANA SILVER, SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 12:33, 29 June 2026 | Updated: 12:40, 29 June 2026 A cruise ship in France was evacuated early Monday morning after a fire broke out on board. The fire began at around 3.30am in the galley of the MS Botticelli, which was sailing on the Seine River between Paris and Normandy.  The ship, carrying 132 passengers and 31 crew members, was moored in the port of Honfleur, France, while firefighters tackled the blaze. Everyone on board was evacuated and taken to safety in a hall provided by the town, according to French media outlets. French, Belgian, Spanish, Australian and German nationals were aboard the ship when it was evacuated. The fire produced thick plumes of smoke, prompting a major emergency response, including the deployment of two specialist teams trained to tackle ship fires. By around 8am, firefighters were still working to bring the blaze under control, with the vessel believed to have suffered extensive damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and no injuries have been reported. The ship, carrying 132 passengers and 31 crew members, was moored in the port of Honfleur, France, while firefighters tackled the blaze. (File picture: Honfleur port) Jeremy Leroy, the commander of rescue operations, said the operation to tackle the blaze was 'complex due to the metal framework,' according to news outlet Ouest France. 'We are now in the process of removing the metal structures,' he added. Speaking to French media, one passenger from Spain named Xavier said: 'We heard an alarm and people talking loudly. Then someone knocked on the door and we got out.' 'There were flames and a lot of smoke,' Xavier continued. 'Everything happened calmly and we weren't afraid.' Nicolas Pubreuil, the mayor of Honfleur, said: 'I am relieved that no one was injured.' 'We were on site at 4.00am. The situation was under control. The crew had organized things very well,' continued Pubreuil.  'The passengers were calm, but they were a little cold.'  The passengers were mostly elderly, and Stéphane Sinagoga, the Secretary General of the Calvados Prefecture, said: 'They are all in good health but require medical monitoring.' 'Particular attention is being paid to passengers who left the ship without their personal belongings, especially without their medical treatments,' the prefecture stated in a press release.  'An emergency physician is on site. Additional medical support is being provided to facilitate the health monitoring of evacuees and, if necessary, to facilitate the renewal of prescriptions and access to essential treatments.'  By late morning, passengers were allowed to retrieve their luggage and personal belongings from the ship. The MS Botticelli is 110-metres-long and 11.40-metres-wide and can accommodate 145 passengers in 73 cabins. The cruise company, CroisiEurope, said that 'customers will be repatriated home as soon as possible and will be accommodated in hotels in the meantime.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.