A major explosion occurred at India’s Cochin Shipyard this morning killing five workers and injuring more than a dozen others.
According to a spokesperson from the shipyard, the explosion took place onboard ONGC’s drillship Sagar Bhushan which was under repair at the shipyard.
Local police has confirmed that five people died, with smoke inhalation thought to be the main cause of the deaths, while 15 people wounded in the blast were immediately sent to a local hospital. The rescue team is making efforts to evacuate two more workers trapped inside the ship.
Firefighting operations are ongoing and the fire situation has been contained.
Nitin Gadkari, India’s Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, has ordered an investigation into the blast.