IRANIAN SHIP EXPLOSION
Iranian oil tanker blast forces rescue crew to retreat
Beijing/Seoul — Rescue crews were forced to retreat from a stricken Iranian oil tanker in the East China Sea on Wednesday following an explosion on the ship. A fire raged for a fourth day. The blast happened on board the tanker in the afternoon after rescue crews were dousing the ship with foam in an attempt to put out the fire, China’s transport ministry said on Wednesday. The cause of the blast and extent of damage to the tanker were not clear. The ship was carrying condensate, a highly flammable ultralight crude, to deliver to South Korea when it collided with a Chinese freight ship on Saturday about 300km off China’s coast near Shanghai. Dozens of rescue boats from China and South Korea have been battling strong winds, high waves and poisonous fumes to comb a 3,100km2 area for 31 missing sailors and to tame the fire, amid growing concerns that the listing ship may explode or sink. Iran’s navy joined the effort on Wednesday, a government official said. The lashing winds were expe...
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