Six Chinese seamen who survived a boat fire in Uruguay which claimed 11 lives are expected to return home by the beginning of next month, the agent of the ill- fated vessel told Xinhua on Tuesday.

After the Uruguayan judges hand down the final verdict and the Chinese embassy in Uruguay issues temporary travel documents, these survivors will return home, the agent in charge of the boat affairs said.

According to the agent, investigators have made some progress in finding out the cause of the boat fire, and relevant departments will be helpful to expedite the investigation process.

He said that a team from China's Henan Province, the hometown of the nine Chinese sailors who were killed in the ship fire, will arrive in Uruguay soon to help identify the victims and handle the aftermath of the mishap.

An official with the Chinese embassy in Uruguay told Xinhua that the embassy is assisting Uruguayan departments to settle related issues and facilitate the return of the Chinese survivors.

The Ukrainian-flagged ship Simeiz, owned by a Spanish company, was docked in Montevideo's pier when it caught fire last Wednesday. It took local firefighters and the navy 25 hours to extinguish the fire.

Eleven people, including a Ukrainian skipper, nine Chinese sailors and an Indonesian, were killed in the fire.

Source: Xinhua