Blast kills one on Chinese cargo ship off Hong Kong

One person was killed after a cargo vessel suffered an onboard explosion in Hong Kong’s waters on Monday, January 30.

The Chinese-registered Guo Xin 1 was underway about two nautical miles off Lamma Island when a fire ignited in its engine room on the morning (local time) of Monday.

The vessel was rocked by an explosion shortly afterwards, prompting the crew to send out a distress call.

Local rescue, firefighting, and police boats soon arrived in the area to render assistance. Twelve of Guo Xin 1‘s crew were safely evacuated while the thirteenth crewmember, a 51-year-old male, suffered serious burns and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Hong Kong officials said the firefighting effort was successfully concluded by 10:46 on Monday and that an investigation into the incident has been launched.

Guo Xin 1‘s 13-strong crew at the time of the incident were all Chinese nationals and also included one female sailor.