Army copters join operation to douse Kerala vessel blaze

EVEN three days after a blast triggered a massive fire aboard the Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, the Indian Coast Guard managed to bring the flames under control on Wednesday, though the blaze inside the cargo hold continues to persist.

- MANOJ VISWANATHAN @Kochi

Officials said efforts are underway to completely extinguish the fire by Thursday, with an Mi-series helicopter from the Indian Air Force scheduled to take off from Kozhikode carrying fire-retardant dry chemical powder to assist in the operation.

In a high-risk manoeuvre, a Coast Guard helicopter winched down five members of the salvage team and an aircrew diver onto the burning vessel around 3 pm on Wednesday to secure a towline, officials said. Once the blaze is fully doused, the vessel will be towed to the deep sea using a tug, they added.