One killed, 15 injured in LPG tanker explosion in Izmir

Syn Zania (Photo: MarineTraffic.com/Reinhard Schmidt)

An explosion and subsequent fire on board an LPG tanker in Izmir, Turkey, on Monday, July 1, has left one person dead and 15 others injured.

The crew of the Italian-flagged Syn Zania were conducting cargo loading operations at the Petkim petroleum terminal in Izmir’s Aliaga Port when the explosion occurred at around 21:00 local time.

The Petkim terminal’s own fire brigade immediately rushed to the scene, as did a number of firefighting tugs.

Fifteen of the tanker’s crew of 16 Italian and Romanian nationals were safely evacuated from the burning vessel. The sole remaining crewmember died in the incident, though it remains unclear whether he was killed instantly in the explosion or if he had succumbed to his injuries after being evacuated.

An employee of the Petkim terminal and all but one of the 15 surviving Syn Zania crewmembers suffered varying injuries.

The fire was brought under control at around 23:30. No oil spills have been reported.

Local authorities have since declared the incident area at the Petkim terminal a restricted zone off limits to anyone other than police investigators and technical damage surveyors.

The cause of the incident remains unknown.


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