Six people have lost their lives in an incident involving a vessel fire at the Port of Durban, according to the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA).

The authority confirmed the casualties, adding that the extent of the fire caused the vessel to list on its port side.

SAMSA informed that the unit in question was the Mozambique-flagged fishing vessel Tropical 1.

There were no details available regarding the possible causes of the incident, which occurred on February 14.

The authority launched an investigation into the matter and proceeded to formally make contact with the Mozambican authorities.