Two bodies pulled from blazing oil tanker
Rescuers yesterday pulled the bodies of two crew members from an Iranian oil tanker that has been on fire since colliding with a freighter in the East China Sea last week.
The bodies were found on the lifeboat deck of the Sanchi yesterday morning. Rescuers stayed aboard for less than 30 minutes and were prevented from entering the crew’s living quarters by heat of up to 89°C. However, they but were able to also recover the ship’s data and video recordings.
Footage of the rescue efforts showed parts of the Sanchi still aflame, with its superstructure stripped of paint. Authorities were concerned that the ship might explode.
The cause of the collision remains unclear. A body was recovered from the sea last week, leaving 29 crew unaccounted for. The crew was Iranian except for two Bangladeshis.
Thirteen ships, including one from South Korea and two from Japan, were involved in the rescue and clean-up effort yesterday, spraying foam to try to extinguish the fire.
The tanker was carrying a cargo of 1 million barrels of condensate, a gassy, ultra-light oil that readily evaporates or burns off in a fire.
Intense flames, bad weather and poor visibility have all hampered rescue efforts.
The Chinese freighter CF Crystal that collided with the Panamanian-registered tanker had 21 crew members, all of whom were safe.