A search and rescue operation is underway off the coast of Kerala after the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503 caught fire following a powerful explosion, leaving four crew members missing and raising fears of a potential environmental disaster.
The incident occurred on June 9, as the vessel was sailing from Colombo to Nhava Sheva (Mumbai), approximately 40 to 78 nautical miles from the Kerala shoreline near Beypore and Azhikkal. The explosion, believed to have originated from one of the ship’s containers, triggered a fierce blaze that quickly engulfed the vessel.
According to national media reports, there were 22 crew members on board, including 14 Chinese nationals (six from Taiwan), and others from Myanmar and Indonesia. Eighteen crew members have been rescued by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, with five sustaining injuries, two of them seriously. The rescued sailors were brought to New Mangalore Port for medical treatment, and some have since been discharged.
However, four crew members two from Taiwan, one from Myanmar, and one from Indonesia remain unaccounted for.
Indian authorities have intensified aerial and maritime search efforts, deploying additional firefighting vessels and surveillance aircraft to locate the missing sailors and contain the blaze.
The MV Wan Hai 503 is carrying approximately 2,000 tonnes of fuel oil, 240 tonnes of diesel, and 157 containers with dangerous goods, including over 32 tonnes of highly flammable nitrocellulose with alcohol.
