Wan Hai container ship catches fire off southern India

Taipei, June 9 (CNA) A container ship operated by Taiwan-based Wan Hai Lines caught fire while sailing off the west coast of southern India near the port of Beypore on Monday, with four crew members reported missing, the shipper said.

Of the 22 crew members onboard the Wan Hai 503, 18 abandoned the ship and were rescued, but the remaining four people were missing, the company said in a statement. Of those rescued, five were injured.

According to an Associated Press report, two of the four missing are Taiwanese, one is from Indonesia and one from Myanmar.

The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy have launched a search operation for the missing, according to foreign media reports.