A cargo ship carrying thousands of cars to Mexico caught fire off the coast of Alaska.

The UK-flagged vessel Morning Midas was delivering some 3,000 vehicles when the blaze broke out 300 miles southwest of Adak Island on June 3.

Footage shows the 600ft vessel sailing through open waters with smoke steadily rising from its deck.

The US Coast Guard said a commercial vessel rescued all 22 crew members, who evacuated the burning ship on a lifeboat.

It said: 'The Morning Midas is estimated to have approximately 350 metric tons of gas fuel and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) onboard.

'They are also reportedly carrying a total of 3,159 vehicles, with 65 being fully electric vehicles and 681 being partial hybrid electric vehicles.'

Officials said the vessel was allowed to burn for days due to the risk of lithium-ion battery explosions.

The Morning Midas's crew said they had activated the vessel's fire suppression systems and attempted to contain the fire but were unable to bring it under control.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

London-based ship management company Zodiac Maritime said a specialist salvage team was expected to arrive at the site next week.