One killed after vessels catch fire off Yeosu, South Korea

One person was killed while two others suffered injuries after two vessels caught fire in the waters off the city of Yeosu in South Korea on Saturday, August 16.

Authorities said the blaze ignited on a chemical tanker and spread to a nearby delivery vessel in the early morning (local time) of Saturday. Both ships were at anchor off Yeosu at the time.

The Korea Coast Guard immediately deployed vessels to the area to render assistance as the tanker was reportedly laden with over 2,000 tons of hazardous chemical cargo in addition to 100 tons of fuel, thereby posing an increased explosion risk.

The 14 crewmembers on the tanker and their four counterparts on the smaller delivery vessel were eventually evacuated. Tragically, however, the delivery vessel's captain was later pronounced deceased by responding firefighters.

Two tanker crewmen, both identified as Burmese nationals, meanwhile suffered injuries. One crewman is reportedly in critical condition.

The firefighting effort on the delivery vessel was completed by 03:17 while that on the tanker concluded a little over four hours later.

An investigation is underway to identify the events that resulted in the incident.