Five people were killed and 13 others were injured in an explosion on a drill ship at the Cochin Shipyard on Tuesday, 13 February. At least 20 people were on board the ship when the explosion occurred.
The blast occurred on ONGC-owned Sagar Bhushan ship, as a result of another explosion that took place inside the water tank of the ship.
Speaking to The News Minute, Madhu S Nair, Chairman of Cochin Shipyard, said that the explosion took place inside the tank of the ship.
We have been carrying out maintenance work for days together inside the tank. So at this point it is unclear what caused the fire. There should be a detailed inquiry.
Nair, however, added that one of the victims had informed the manager that there was gas inside the tank. When the manager went to check, Nair said, it was found that there was only water and no explosive substance. According to him, welding work was going on at the time of explosion.
All safety precautions were taken. We will do a thorough inquiry. An inquiry committee has been constituted led by Director Operations.Madhu S Nair
While Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed his condolences, Union Mnister for Shipping Nitin Gadkari said that an immediate inquiry would be initiated.
(With inputs from The News Minute)
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