Two Indonesian crew members seriously injured in ship fire

TANJUNG MANIS: The deck of a ship exploded and caught fire in Sg Belawai here on Tuesday morning, critically injuring two Indonesian crew members.  

Fire and Rescue Department Zone 4 chief Misran Bisara said at the time of the incident, the vessel - Dong Fang Glory - was anchored in the middle of the river for maintenance.  

"There were 17 crew members in the vessel and five from Berjaya Dockyard who were there to carry out maintenance work," he said. 

Suddenly an explosion occurred in the deck of  the vessel followed by a fire, he added.  

Misran said his department received a distress call at 10.42am and immediately despatched a team of seven firemen from the Tanjung Manis fire station and another five from the Sungai Merah station in Sibu to the scene.  

However, the crew members of the vessel managed to douse the flames before the firemen arrived.  

The two Indonesians, he said, suffered burns on their body while the captain of the vessel sustained light injuries on his face.  

They have been sent to the Sibu Hospital for treatment.