Oil tanker explodes off Hong Kong, killing one person and leaving others missing

Updated

An oil tanker has exploded off the coast of Hong Kong, killing at least one person and leaving three missing.

The Vietnam-registered vessel burst into flames as it prepared to refuel at an anchorage off Hong Kong's southern coast, according to authorities.

Residents of the nearby island of Lantau said they heard a big blast which rattled doors and windows.

"It felt like when there is a strong typhoon, when the wind shakes your doors violently. It was really strong," one woman, Rhea Nee, said.

"I thought maybe there was an earthquake. I saw my neighbours all coming out of their houses.

"The windows of my house were shaking."

The South China Morning Post reported the tanker, Aulac Fortune, was about one nautical mile south of Lamma Island at about 11:30am local time when the incident happened, with the crew either falling or jumping into the water.

Police vessels, three fireboats and a government helicopter were deployed as part of a rescue operation, it reported.

Twenty-one crew members were rescued from the water.

Authorities said one was pronounced dead at the scene and four others were hospitalised.

Authorities said rescuers are searching for three missing crew members.

At 3:42pm, fire services said the blaze was under control, the Post reported.

ABC/wires

Topics: maritime, accidents, disasters-and-accidents, hong-kong

First posted</s>HONG KONG (AP) - An explosion on an oil tanker in Hong Kong on Tuesday killed one crew member and left two others missing at sea, authorities said.

The Vietnam-registered tanker burst into flames just before 11:30 a.m. as it prepared to refuel at an anchorage off the city's southern coast, said Yiu Men-Yeung, commander of the Hong Kong Fire Department marine and diving division.

The force of the blast left the 140-meter (460-foot) -long tanker at a 30-degree angle and threw its 25-member crew into the water, Wong Wai-hong, a Hong Kong Police deputy commander, said at a news conference. The refueling barge was destroyed.

One crew member was pronounced dead at the scene and seven others were injured. Authorities initially reported at least three crew members missing but later confirmed there were only two.

The cargo hold appeared to be the source of the blaze, fire officials said. The vessel, en route to its home port in Thailand, was largely empty.

In this photo released by Hong Kong Government Flying Service, black smoke billows from an oil tanker after catching fire off southern Lamma island of Hong Kong, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. Hong Kong fire officials say an oil-tanker explosion has killed one person and left three missing at sea. Authorities said Tuesday that a Vietnam-registered oil tanker burst into flames about 11:30 a.m. as it prepared to refuel at an anchorage off Hong Kong's southern coast. (Hong Kong Government Flying Service via AP)

In this photo released by Hong Kong Government Flying Service, black smoke billows from an oil tanker after catching fire off southern Lamma island of Hong Kong, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. Hong Kong fire officials say an oil-tanker explosion has killed one person and left three missing at sea. Authorities said Tuesday that a Vietnam-registered oil tanker burst into flames about 11:30 a.m. as it prepared to refuel at an anchorage off Hong Kong's southern coast. (Hong Kong Government Flying Service via AP)</s>HONG KONG — Hong Kong fire officials say an oil tanker explosion has killed one person and left three missing at sea.

Authorities say a Vietnam-registered oil tanker burst into flames Tuesday as it prepared to refuel at an anchorage off Hong Kong's southern coast.

Twenty-one crew members were rescued from the waters. Authorities say one was pronounced dead at the scene and four others have been hospitalized.

Rescuers are searching for the three missing crew members.</s>HONG KONG — An oil tanker exploded off Hong Kong’s southern coast Tuesday, killing one crew member and leaving three others missing at sea.

Witnesses reported hearing a loud blast that shook windows several miles away.

The damaged oil tanker tilts to one side off Hong Kong’s southern coast.Anthony Wallace / AFP – Getty Images

Authorities said the Vietnam-registered vessel burst into flames as it prepared to refuel.

Twenty-one crew members were rescued from the waters.

The Aulac Fortune was built in 2010. Ship tracking data shows it last loaded around 6,660 tons of gasoline, most of which was delivered to Guangzhou on Sunday and Monday.

The Aulac Fortune later arrived south of Lamma Island and sent its position from there at midnight ET on Tuesday.

The Aulac Fortune burns near Lamma Island on Tuesday.Hong Kong Government Flying Service / EPA

Residents on the nearby island of Lantau said they heard a big blast which rattled doors and windows.

“It felt like when there is a strong typhoon, when the wind shakes your doors violently. It was really strong,” Rhea Nee told Reuters. “I thought maybe there was an earthquake. I saw my neighbors all coming out of their houses. The windows of my house were shaking.”</s>One person has been killed and three others are missing after an explosion on an oil tanker off the coast of Hong Kong</s>HONG KONG — Hong Kong fire officials say an oil tanker explosion has killed one person and left three missing at sea.

Authorities say a Vietnam-registered oil tanker burst into flames Tuesday as it prepared to refuel at an anchorage off Hong Kong’s southern coast.

Twenty-one crew members were rescued from the waters. Authorities say one was pronounced dead at the scene and four others have been hospitalized.

Rescuers are searching for the three missing crew members.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>More than 20 people have been rescued and one has died after an oil tanker caught fire just off Hong Kong (AFP Photo/Handout)

Hong Kong (AFP) - At least one person has died after an oil tanker caught fire off Hong Kong on Tuesday, police said, sending a huge cloud of dark smoke billowing into the air.

Twenty-one people have been rescued after those on the vessel either fell or jumped into the sea, according to a police spokesperson, but it is not yet clear if more people are still missing. A number of the victims had suffered burns.

In a picture posted by the Hong Kong Police, the tanker was seen listing sharply with large plumes of black smoke coming from its middle and flames still burning on the deck.

Officers said they received a report of an oil tanker exploding and catching fire in waters south of the outlying Lamma Island.

"I heard several banging and rumbling sounds, like someone with big hands knocking my glass door," a resident of Lamma Island's Mo Tat New Village who gave his name as Shu told AFP.

He added that a smaller banging sound followed about 10 seconds later.

Photos on local news site Apple Daily showed an orange blaze on the ship which was also belching out heavy smoke.

The name on the front of the tanker was Aulac Fortune, which the Hong Kong marine department tracker website showed as arriving at the South Lamma anchorage at 2.58 am Tuesday local time.

The MarineTraffic.com website listed the tanker as registered in Vietnam and leaving the southern Chinese industrial city of Dongguan on Monday.

Authorities have dispatched marine police vessels, fireboats and a helicopter in an ongoing rescue operation, the South China Morning Post reported.</s>At least one sailor has died and two others are missing after a massive explosion at a tanker off the coast of Lamma Island in Hong Kong that was felt several miles away.

Hong Kong maritime officials said the explosion on the Vietnamese registered Aulac Fortune happened while it was being refueled by a barge.</s>HONG KONG (AP) — An explosion on an oil tanker in Hong Kong on Tuesday killed one crew member and left two others missing at sea, authorities said.

The Vietnam-registered tanker burst into flames just before 11:30 a.m. as it prepared to refuel at an anchorage off the city's southern coast, said Yiu Men-Yeung, commander of the Hong Kong Fire Department marine and diving division.

The force of the blast left the 140-meter (460-foot) -long tanker at a 30-degree angle and threw its 25-member crew into the water, Wong Wai-hong, a Hong Kong Police deputy commander, said at a news conference. The refueling barge was destroyed.

One crew member was pronounced dead at the scene and seven others were injured. Authorities initially reported at least three crew members missing but later confirmed there were only two.

The cargo hold appeared to be the source of the blaze, fire officials said. The vessel, en route to its home port in Thailand, was largely empty.</s>HONG KONG (AP) — An explosion on an oil tanker in Hong Kong on Tuesday killed one crew member and left two others missing at sea, fire officials said.

The Vietnam-registered tanker burst into flames just before 11:30 a.m. as it prepared to refuel at an anchorage off the city's southern coast, authorities said.

The force of the blast left the 140-meter (460-foot) -long tanker at an angle and threw its 25-member crew into the water, they said at a news conference. The refueling barge was destroyed.

One crew member was pronounced dead at the scene and seven others were injured.

The source of the blaze appeared to be the cargo hold, the fire officials said. The vessel, en route to its home port in Thailand, was largely empty.

A search was underway for the missing.
A Vietnam-registered oil tanker explodes off Hong Kong's southern coast, killing at least one person and leaving three others missing.