Blast at India’s Cochin Shipyard Kills Five, Injures Several Others

A police vehicle exits Cochin Shipyard Ltd, after a fire broke out on a ship under repair at the shipping yard, in Kochi, India February 13, 2018. REUTERS/Sivaram V

BENGALURU, Feb 13 (Reuters) – A blast caused by a fire on a ship under repair at India’s Cochin Shipyard Ltd killed five people on Tuesday, and injured around 11, a company spokeswoman said, prompting the government to call for a quick enquiry.

The spokeswoman said smoke hampered rescue operations initially and that an investigation would be launched soon. The ship belongs to the country’s top energy explorer, Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd, she added.

An ONGC official said the ship was undergoing maintenance at state-run Cochin Shipyard on the country’s southwest coast.

The blast took place inside the water tank, said M.P. Dinesh, a senior police official in the southern state of Kerala where the shipyard is located.

“The casualties occurred in the smoke that spilled out from the tank, according to preliminary information,” he told reporters. “All people trapped in the ship have been evacuated. The situation is under control now.”

(Reporting by Arathy S. Nair in BENGALURU and Promit Mukherjee in MUMBAI and Jose Devasia in KOCHI; Writing by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018.

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