LONDON - More than 30 casualties have been brought ashore following the collision between an oil tanker and a cargo vessel in the North Sea, British media reported on Monday.

Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, said he was told a "massive fireball" was seen after the collision, but the ships are too far away from shore to see.

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"We have seen the vessels bringing" the casualties in from the ships, said Boyers. The condition of the casualties isn't clear yet.

A number of people have reportedly abandoned the ships following the collision near the coastal city of Hull, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) said in a statement, adding that there are reports of fires on both vessels.

Search and rescue teams from across the region have been deployed to respond to the incident with lifeboats and firefighting teams on the scene. An alarm was first reportedly raised at 9:48 am (0948 GMT).

Visibility around the collision site has been poor, according to the Met Office.

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The tanker involved in the incident is believed to be the US-flagged Stena Immaculate, and the Solong, a Portuguese-flagged container, appears to be colliding with the tanker, according to the BBC, based on marine traffic data.

The Stena Immaculate had traveled from the Greek port of Agioi Theodoroi, and was anchored outside Hull. The Solong, meanwhile, had been sailing from the Scottish port of Grangemouth to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.