4 missing, 5 injured after massive fire & blasts on cargo ship off Kerala coast; Indian Navy leads rescue

A massive fire broke out on a Singapore-flagged merchant ship off the Kerala coast. The Indian Navy has diverted INS Surat for the rescue operation. Early reports suggest that several members of the crew jumped into the sea to save their lives.

Out of the 22-member crew, 18 jumped into the ocean, and efforts are underway to rescue them. The merchant ship was en route to Mumbai. Around 20 containers on board the ship caught fire and fell off. Loud explosions were also heard. India Coast Guard has also "deployed multiple assets including CG Dornier for rescue & assessment," Defence PRO for Kerala said in a statement.

As per the officials, Singapore-flagged MV WAN HAI 503, which was on its way to Maharashtra's Nhava Sheva from Colombo reported a loud explosion. The blast was reported under deck in position 315, Kochi 130. Indian Coast Guard PRO says around four crew are missing and five crew have been injured in the blaze.

#WATCH | MV WAN HAI 503 on passage from Colombo to Nhava Sheva reported an explosion under deck in position 315, Kochi 130. 04 crew reported missing and 05 crew injured. The ship was carrying containerised cargo with a total crew of 22. CGDO on task diverted for assessment. ICGS pic.twitter.com/HLCZRlKoAo
ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2025

Officials said that ICGS Rajdoot off New Mangalore, ICGS Arnvesh off Kochi & ICGS Sachet off Agatti diverted for assistance

(With ANI inputs)