It’s published
A spokesman for the Indian Coast Guard said the explosion and subsequent fires were reported on Monday on a Singapore-style container ship off the coast of Kerala, south India.
Of the 22 crew members aboard the MV Wanhi 503, 18 have abandoned the ship with support from the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, and four have gone missing, Commander Amit Uniyal said in a statement.
One of the rescued crews was seriously injured.
Of the four shortages, two are Taiwanese nationals, one from Indonesia and one from Myanmar.
The Navy and Coast Guard, assisted by Dornier’s aircraft, began search operations for missing persons.
The Navy uses Dhonier aircraft primarily for maritime surveillance, search and rescue operations.
Many ships have also been sent to help put out the fire from about 88 nautical miles (162 km) from the Beepro coast in Kerala.
“The vessels are currently drifting and firefighting is underway to control the situation,” Uniyal said.
“Saving the lives of our crew by limiting the dangers of suffering, fire and mitigation environments is still a priority for the Coast Guard.”
He said they are working to establish details of the ship’s cargo and the potential risks it may cause.
The 271 metres of ship was scheduled to leave Sri Lanka’s Colombo port on June 7th and arrive in Mumbai on Monday.
The Coast Guard received a warning of distress from the ship reporting a fire carrying an explosion and subsequent fire on Monday morning.
The fire later spread to other containers.
The Coast Guard has not yet given the cause of the explosion and fire.
According to a statement from Singapore authorities, the ship is managed by Singapore-based Wan High Line.
At the end of last month, a Liberian-style container ship sailed through Vijinjam and Kochi’s Indian port and sank off the coast of Kerala.
The state government has issued high vigilance in coastal areas and asked fishermen not to venture near where the vessels carrying dangerous cargo were sunk.
