VISAKHAPATNAM: One person died and another was reported missing, while 27 were rescued by the Coast Guard after a huge fire broke out in offshore support vessel Coastal Jaguar off Visakhapatnam coast on Monday. The vessel was hired by a contractor of HPCL to undertake to handle crude and oil at a SPM offshore terminal.
The members of the crew abandoned the vessel and jumped into the water to save themselves from fire. There was reportedly a loud explosion on board the vessel followed by billowing of thick smoke. While one body was recovered, the search for the missing person was launched. Sources said one person admitted to hospital for treatment suffered 90 per cent burns. While five were discharged, others who suffered over 50 per cent of burns are undergoing treatment.