Three people were hospitalized after a massive fire engulfed a riverboat on the Moscow River early Monday morning, Interfax reported.
The 96-meter vessel, the Sergei Abramov, was docked at the Northern River Port when it erupted in flames around 4 a.m., sending guests and crew fleeing for dry land. Five were injured in the blaze, including two crew members and a firefighter.
Thick clouds of gray smoke rose from the vessel before firefighters managed to douse the fire.
The boat is owned by the Tsezar Trevel company, which was using the ship as a floating restaurant and hotel, RIA-Novosti .
The incident brings back chilling memories of the Bulgaria riverboat, which sank in May in Tatarstan, taking 122 lives to the bottom of the Volga River. In an eerie coincidence, both ships were built within five years of each other at the same factory in Czechoslovakia.
Moviegoers may recognize the Sergei Abramov from the hit movie "Den Vybory," or "Election Day," a 2007 political satire filmed on its decks.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
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