Containers from capsized ship land on Kerala shores

Over two dozen containers from a cargo vessel that sank 14 nautical miles from Cochin washed up on beaches in Kerala on Monday even as the state government and central agencies moved to limit any potential environmental fallout from the accident.

- Vishnu Varma

KOCHI:

The Liberian-flagged MSC ELSA 3 bound for Kochi from Vizhinjam port listed in heavy weather on Saturday and later sank on Sunday, scattering many of its 643 containers--including 13 with hazardous cargo--into the sea. All 24 crew of the ship were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Navy.

An official of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said Monday evening that around 30 cargo containers from the capsized vessel were beached in the districts of Alappuzha and Kollam and that none were found to contain hazardous substances.