Explosions Continue Aboard Burning Cargo Ship Off Kerala Coast; Rescue and Salvage Efforts Intensify

Kochi: Fires and explosions continue aboard the Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, which caught fire off the Kerala coast on Monday. Indian Coast Guard officials reported that flames are still visible from the mid-ship area and the container bay located just ahead of the accommodation block.
While the fire in the forward bay has been brought under control, thick plumes of smoke continue to rise from the vessel. The ship is listing approximately 10 to 15 degrees to port, and more containers have reportedly fallen into the sea.
Indian Coast Guard ships Samudra Prahari and Sachet remain on-site, conducting firefighting and boundary cooling operations to prevent further spread of the blaze. Visuals shared by the Coast Guard show heavy smoke engulfing the ship as firefighting efforts continue at sea.
Meanwhile, Coast Guard vessel Samarth, carrying a team of salvors, is being deployed from Kochi to assist in the ongoing salvage and containment efforts.
Earlier, the Indian Navy’s INS Surat rescued 18 crew members from the burning vessel as part of a coordinated firefighting operation that continued overnight. A Defence PRO confirmed that the rescued sailors were safely disembarked at Mangalore Port at 11:30 p.m. on Monday.
However, four of the 22 crew members onboard remain unaccounted for. Aerial reconnaissance efforts resumed Tuesday morning, with a Coast Guard Dornier aircraft conducting an aerial survey of the incident site.
The fire reportedly began following an explosion in a container around 9:20 a.m. IST on June 9. The vessel was located approximately 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal in Kannur district and about 130 nautical miles northwest of Kochi when the incident occurred.