2 seafarers die in South Korea tanker fire

2 seafarers die in South Korea tanker fire

A fire aboard a 494-ton oil tanker off the southern coast of South Korea on Wednesday morning has claimed the lives of two seafarers and injured another. 

The incident happened while the ship was five kilometers off Odong Island, South Jeolla Province.

The yet-to-be-identified seafarers who lost their lives in the ship inferno were aged 68 and 79, according to port officials. 

The injured seafarer is the ship’s chief engineer who suffered burns and was transferred to a hospital for treatment.

The stricken vessel, loaded with 10,000 tons of bunker fuel, C oil and heavy oil, the vessel was crewed by six sailors, four of whom managed to escape the ship shortly after the fire started.

The fire did not spread aboard the ship and was contained within hours.