Explosion in cargo ship off Kerala coast; four crew members missing

An explosion and a subsequent fire was reported onboard a cargo vessel off the Kerala coast on Monday, officials aware of the matter said, adding that four crew members of the ship were missing even as the Navy and Coast Guard rescued 18 others.

- Vishnu Varma

KOCHI:

According to a release by the Coast Guard, the fire broke out onboard the Singapore-flagged MV Wan Hai 503 following a container explosion at 9.20am, around 44 nautical miles (81km) off the coast in Azhikkal in Kozhikode district. "The fire rapidly engulfed the midsection of the vessel, which is currently adrift," the release said. "Preliminary reports suggest that 10-15 containers have fallen overboard."