Maersk ship still ablaze, search on for 4 missing crew members

Maersk Container Ship carrying 27 crew members on-board including 13 Indians caught fire following an explosion in the Arabian Sea at 340 nautical miles from Agatti in Lakshwadeep Islands yesterday.

23 crew members rescued so far, search operation for 4 missing crew members, who are not traceable, is still underway.

Out of the 23 crew members rescued, one survivor of Thai nationality is reported to be critical.

The Maersk line ship was reportedly carrying chemicals onboard. The high temperatures have melted the containers onboard the ship.

A thick blanket of smoke and toxic fumes was seen emanating from the ship.

Indian Coast Guard Ship Shoor is already at the scene of incident. A few life boats were noticed by the Coast Guard and preliminary investigations reveal that life boats are empty.

The ship is about 90 nautical miles from Trivandrum, Coast Guard is deploying its high speed interceptor boat from Vizhinjam to evacuate the ailing Thai sea farer.