RIYADH -- One person was killed and several injured when a Saudi vessel with 896 people on board caught fire shortly after leaving a port on the Red Sea, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Sunday.

SPA said the ship, Al Salam 90, was on its way from Diba, in northern Saudi Arabia, to Egypt when the fire broke out on Saturday night. It returned to port and passengers were evacuated as firefighters tried to extinguish the blaze, Reuters reported.

"Several people were taken to hospital for treatment. One crew member died due to suffocation," the agency said without giving the nationality of crew and passengers.