Fire Engulfs OSV in Bay of Bengal

A screenshot from video shared by the Indian Coast Guard shows crewmembers of the Coastal Jaguar abandoning ship as the fire rages onboard. Photo courtesy Indian Coast Guard

A major fire engulfed an offshore supply vessel off the coast of India in the Bay of Bengal on Monday, leaving one person dead and another missing, the Indian Coast Guard reported.

The fire started around noon on Monday onboard the India-flagged Coastal Jaguar as it was off the Visakhapatna.

Video shared online shows crew members abandoning the burning vessel as crews from the Indian Coast Guard throw life rings to the survivors.

#SavingLives @IndiaCoastGuard ship picking up survivors of the fire engulfed OSV #CoastalJaguar off #Visakhapatnam this afternoon @DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD @shripadynaik @PIB_India pic.twitter.com/yaSBq4cpCN

— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) August 12, 2019

The Coast Guard said on Twitter that so far one body had been recovered, while a search was underway for a second missing person. Media reports suggest that 28 of the 29 total crew members were recovered.

From video it appears that the fire has been brought under control with fire fighting help from the Indian Coast Guard.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear as of Monday.

#SavingLives @IndiaCoastGuard ship fights the fire onboard a #MerchantShip #CoastalJaguar off #Visakhapatnam this afternoon. 28 lives saved,01 body recovered and #SAR for 01 missing crew continues @DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD @PIB_India @shripadynaik pic.twitter.com/B2MtwoU2dg

— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) August 12, 2019

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