A container ship operated by Taiwan-based Wan Hai Lines caught fire while sailing off the west coast of southern India near the port of Beypore yesterday, with four crew members reported missing, the shipper said.
Of the 22 crew members onboard the Wan Hai 503, 18 abandoned the ship and were rescued, but the remaining four people were missing, the company said in a statement.
Photo from the Indian Coast Guard on X
Of those rescued, five were injured.
According to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India, four crew members remain missing, including two Taiwanese, one person from Indonesia and one from Myanmar.
The 18 rescued crew members have been taken to a hospital in the port city of Mangaluru, local media reported.
Indian news outlet Kerala Kaumudi said the rescued crew members — including four Taiwanese — were escorted by the Indian Navy.
The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy have launched a search operation for the missing, foreign media reported.
Of the 18 crew members rescued, five were injured: two Chinese suffered burns; one Myanmar national sustained facial burns; another from Myanmar had general burn injuries; and an Indonesian crew member sustained more serious burns, but remains conscious.
Indian media reported that the vessel was carrying a lot of high-risk, highly explosive cargo, but the situation has yet to be clarified by the company.
The ship departed Colombo, Sri Lanka, on the evening of Saturday and was scheduled to arrive in Mumbai today.
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