Bhubaneswar/Kochi: In a tragic incident, four crew members of a cargo ship went missing following an explosion below deck off the coast of Beypore in Kerala.

The explosion occurred on board the MV WAN HAI 503, a Singapore-flagged container ship en route from Colombo to Nhava Sheva in Maharashtra. The vessel, carrying containerized cargo, had a total of 22 crew members on board.

Defence sources told a news agency, the 270-metre-long vessel, with a draught of 12.5 metres, had departed from Colombo on June 7 and was expected to reach its next port of call, Mumbai (Nhava Sheva), on June 10.

Following the explosion, 18 crew members abandoned the burning vessel and were successfully rescued by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. Search and rescue operations are ongoing to locate the four missing crew members.

Meanwhile, Dornier aircraft and vessels of the Coast Guard and Navy from Kochi and Mangaluru have reached the ship.

Capt K. Arun Kumar, the Port officer at Beypore, said some of the containers are carrying dangerous cargo, which includes inflammable liquids and solids and also toxic substances.

The crew does not have any Indians, as per officials. (With Agency input)