Rio de Janeiro, Feb 22 (EFE).- One sailor died and two suffered burns in a fire early Wednesday aboard the aircraft carrier Sao Paulo, the only warship of its type in Brazil's navy, officials said.
The fire was of "small proportions" and broke out at 3 a.m. in one of the sailors' sleeping rooms in the vessel's stern, the navy said.
The blaze surprised the sailors who were sleeping nearby. The vessel was anchored at the Navy Arsenal at Ilha de Cobras, a base in central Rio de Janeiro on Guanabara Bay.
"Two of the sailors did not manage to get out of the room in the initial moments of the fire and were only removed from the room later. Unfortunately, one of them died about 0500 hours (5 a.m.) local time," the navy said.
The other sailor was taken to the Marcilio Dias Naval Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, where doctors pronounced him in stable condition.
A third sailor suffered slight injuries on his feet and was treated at the Arsenal naval base hospital and released.
The Sao Paulo has room to carry 1,300 crewmembers.
