Cargo ship catches fire off Pingtung, 4 injured

Taipei, Jan. 5 (CNA) A Marshall Islands-registered cargo ship caught fire off the coast of Pingtung Saturday evening, with four burnt crew members out of a total of 21 airlifted to Xiaogang Airport by helicopter for medical treatment, according to the Coast Guard Administration (CGA).

The CGA said in a statement that at about 5 p.m. Saturday, it received a report that the Marshall Islands-registered cargo ship PANORIA had sent a distress signal via radio 23 nautical miles (42.6 kilometers) southwest of Eluanbi, stating that a fire broke out in the engine room and a total of 21 crew members were waiting for rescue. It then dispatched several ships, including the Anping, to the scene to carry out the rescue operation.

At around 6 p.m., the Anping was the first to reach the sea area, where the accident had occurred, and tried to conduct rescue operation by contacting the cargo ship via radio.

With the fire in the cargo ship's engine room, it lost power but the fire was extinguished by crew members.

However, one crewman suffered serious burns and three others suffered minor burns. They urgently needed medical treatment, according to the CGA.

Due to the bad weather at the scene, with waves reaching 3-4 meters in height, and difficulty connecting the sides of the two ships, the Ministry of National Defense's search and rescue aircraft did not arrive at the scene until around 7 p.m., when it hoisted the four injured back to Xiaogang Airport for medical treatment.

The CGA continued to monitor the situation at the site and contacted the Maritime and Port Bureau's Southern Maritime Affairs Center to assist in dispatching a tugboat for rescue, according to the CGA statement.