At least three persons were died on Tuesday, January 17, when an oil tanker exploded in the Samut Songkhram province in central Thailand, according to the maritime department of the Transport Ministry.
The tanker docked at a shipyard on the Mae Klong River in the Muang district detonated at approximately 9:15 a.m. local time, causing a fire.
At a press conference, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Transport Ministry Sorapong Paitoonpong stated that the identities of the deceased could not be established, but the fire had been controlled and rescuers were intensifying their search for injured and missing individuals.
According to a statement made by the marine department, the incident resulted in the injuries of at least ten other people.
Sorapong stated that 30,000 liters of fuel oil were aboard the tanker, which had a capacity of 2,998 deadweight tons, at the time of the explosion.
Authorities thought that the tanker had not been properly cleaned and emptied of fuel before to entering the shipyard, which led to the explosion. An investigation into the incident’s cause is currently underway, and preliminary results will be released within 10 days.
A temporary closure order has been issued for the shipyard.
