At least one person was killed and six others injured in an explosion aboard an oil tanker 300 km east of the Hong Kong coast on Saturday, authorities said.
Read alsoIn 1973, the oil shock plunged France into crisis
Authorities were alerted around 4:05 a.m. (8:05 a.m. GMT) to the explosion, the causes of which had not been identified on Saturday evening, aboard this 9,995-ton vessel registered in Panama, a government spokesperson said. A plane and two helicopters were then dispatched to rescue seven members of the crew of the “Chang Yi” injured in the explosion. One of them was dead when help arrived, authorities said.
Three Indonesian men in their thirties were seriously injured, with one suffering second-degree burns over 30% of his body, while others suffered burns to the face. Two other Indonesians and a Burmese, all between the ages of 30 and 40, suffered minor injuries.
Authorities were unable to see any oil leaks due to poor visibility after dark, the government spokesman told AFP.