KOCHI: At least five persons were killed and several others injured in a major fire inside a ship under repair at Cochin Shipyard Ltd in India early on Tuesday.
The accident occurred followed by a blast of the ballast tank within Oil and Natural Gas Corporation ship ‘Sagar Bhushan’, which was under repair at the Cochin Shipyard.
Of the injured persons, nine were shifted to the Medical Trust Hospital here, of which five persons succumbed to injuries. While among the rest, one person’s condition is known to be serious with over 45 per cent burns, hospital officials said.
Among the deceased are Ramshad, Kannan, Jayan and Unnikrishnan, all natives of Vypeen, Kerala.The fifth person is identified as Jivin.
About two persons are still reported to be trapped inside the ship, and rescue operations are underway.
“We are taking all immediate steps to bring the situation under control. Evacuation is underway to rescue the two persons who are trapped inside. The smoke emanating from the fire is affecting the rescue operations,” a Shipyard official said.
