More than 1,000 people demand compensation from boxship fire at Laem Chabang port
Local media is reporting that over 1,000 residents from the neighboring areas of Laem Chabang Port have submitted their demands for compensation at Laem Chabang Municipality Office after a fire occurred onboard the 21-year-old boxship KMTC Hong Kong at the port on Saturday.
A large amount of photo evidence has also been submitted to the government.
The fire, resulting from highly flammable toxic chemicals carried by the ship, led to noxious smoke and acidic ash raining down on nearby villages. Over 200 people were hospitalised due to contact with toxic substances from the fire. The Sri Racha district suffered the most and has been declared a danger zone.
According to Laem Chabang port chief Lieutenant Yutthana Mokkhao, damage around the port could reach hundreds of millions baht.
Investigations into the incident are still ongoing and the authorities are also working on measures to tighten the regulations on cargo entering the port to prevent similar accidents.
Huge #explosion in #container #ship #KMTC #HONGKONG Voyage 1907N #LaemChabang #Port #Thailand, the explosion was caused by #Dangerous / #Hazardous #Cargo in some containers, all ships carry some containers of hazardous cargo, #accidents like this are rare. #Shipping #Logistics pic.twitter.com/OkclgMXmN7
— Muhammad Tariq Khan 🇵🇰 (@Spugmay) May 25, 2019
This article does not report whether there were any injuries or deaths on board the vessel or at the terminal, which would certainly be a blessing after seeing a video of the explosion and fire.
Allegedly 18 containers of Calcium Hypochlorite on board (possible misdeclaration)…….authorities will need to make a major investigation to track down the true facts of this incident and prosecute those responsible for negligence and possible criminal deception.