There are reports of a missing person after an explosion and subsequent fire on a container vessel in China’s Hubei province on 22nd July. The Hubei Port Group said the incident occurred at around 05:30 local time when a loud blast was triggered in the aft hold of the locally-owned Yihang Mingyuan while it was berthed at the Port of Yangluo. This then ignited an onboard fire and caused some of the ship’s cargo of containers to fall into the water.
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Fire trucks from local agencies were dispatched to the port to attempt to extinguish the blaze while port officials issued a shutdown order and instructed all on-site personnel to evacuate to a safe area.
The missing individual has been identified as one of Yihang Mingyuan‘s crew.
Authorities are now monitoring the vessel and the surrounding area in addition to preparing for the recovery of the containers that ended up in the water.
The Wuhan branch of the China Maritime Safety Administration has begun investigating the incident as the search for the missing crewmember continues.