India's Kerala Government declares MSC Elsa 3 sinking a "state-specific disaster"

The Kerala State Government of India has declared the sinking of the Liberian-registered container vessel MSC Elsa 3 off Kochi, "a state-specific disaster," local newspaper Deccan Chronicle reports.

The state government has released an official order saying that the incident has raised concerns due to the increased risk of debris and oil spills contaminating the waters along Kerala's Arabian Sea coast.

The government highlighted, "the potentially serious environmental, social, and economic impact of the ship wreckage," in the same official order and has also warned local residents to stay away from the affected beaches.

MSC Elsa 3 sank on Sunday, May 25, one day after it developed a severe list as it was underway between Vizhinjam Port and Kochi.

All 24 of the crew were safely rescued during a joint operation by the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.

At the time of the incident, the ship had a cargo of 640 containers, of which 13 had hazardous cargo and 12 contained calcium carbide, a chemical compound with traces of phosphorous and arsenic. Around two dozen containers later ended up on a number of beaches in Kerala.

A disaster response official confirmed that the beached containers had no hazardous substances, though a number were laden with glass, cotton, and green tea.