**The Indian Navy and Coast Guard race against time to control a blaze on a cargo ship, with environmental risks escalating and hopes fading for four missing crew members.**
**Tragedy at Sea: Four Crew Missing as Singapore-Flagged Cargo Ship Catches Fire Off Kerala**
**Tragedy at Sea: Four Crew Missing as Singapore-Flagged Cargo Ship Catches Fire Off Kerala**
**The MV Wan Hai 503 ignites concerns for safety and environmental impact as the search continues for missing crew.**
The Indian Coast Guard is on high alert as it battles a raging fire aboard a Singapore-flagged cargo ship, MV Wan Hai 503, off the coast of Kerala in the Arabian Sea. The disaster occurred on Monday when an internal explosion triggered flames while the vessel was en route from Sri Lanka's Colombo to Mumbai, India. The fire has resulted in the rescue of 18 crew members, but four remain unaccounted for, raising concerns over their safety.
Rescue operations are ongoing, with Singapore dispatching a team to collaborate in recovery efforts. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has warned the Kerala coastline about potential oil spills and drifting debris resulting from the incident. Dramatic visuals surfaced on Tuesday, depicting dense smoke billowing from the burning cargo ship as Indian Navy and Coast Guard personnel attempted to extinguish the fire, which continued to erupt sporadically.
The ship, carrying a large quantity of bunker oil and at least 22 crew members, has already lost 50 containers overboard, according to statements from Kerala Ports Minister VN Vasavan. INCOIS cautioned that the drifting containers could pose a hazard along the coastline in the days to come. Meanwhile, the missing crew members include two individuals from Taiwan, one from Myanmar, and another from Indonesia, as reported by the Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA).
This incident follows a similar mishap near Kerala's coast only three weeks ago when a Liberian-flagged vessel sank, leading to environmental worries about hazardous materials and impacting local fishing and tourism industries. The state government had already responded by implementing a fishing ban within a 20-nautical mile radius of last month’s wreck and announced compensation for affected fishing communities across four districts.
The ongoing efforts to address both the human and environmental crises highlight the need for improved safety measures in maritime operations as Kerala continues to grapple with the repercussions of these maritime disasters.
