Indian Navy rescued 18 people from a burning ship, China also saluted them; said- Thank you Indian Navy:

News Topical, Digital Desk : A day after the Indian Navy successfully rescued the crew of a Singapore-flagged ship that caught fire off the Kerala coast, China has expressed its gratitude to India. Chinese Embassy spokesperson Yu Jing wrote on X that out of the 22 people on board the ship, 14 were Chinese citizens.

He thanked the Indian Navy and Mumbai Coast Guard for rescuing civilians from the ship. On June 9, MV Wan Hai 503 suffered an onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Kochi, Kerala, Yu Jing wrote on X.

Of the total 22 crew members on board the ship, 14 were Chinese, including 6 from Taiwan. We express our gratitude to the Indian Navy and Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt rescue action.

Four of the 22 crew members are missing

Of the 22 crew members on board the ship, four are missing, five are injured, while 18 others have been rescued. China said it wishes the further research operation a success and wishes the injured crew members a speedy recovery.

How did the accident happen?

The explosion occurred when the ship was going from Colombo to Nhava Sheva near Mumbai. While sailing about 70 nautical miles from Kozhikode, one of its containers exploded, causing a massive fire on the ship. The ship is currently submerged in water.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has activated its Search and Rescue Aid (SARAT) to track possible drift patterns of container debris or people who may have fallen into the water. INCOIS has also warned of a possible oil spill.

Although the exact volume of any spill has not yet been revealed, forecast simulations suggest oil will flow along the coastline, which is being monitored continuously, from June 10 to June 13.