China has expressed its gratitude towards the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their “prompt and professional” rescue of eight Chinese nationals, who were among the 22 crew members on board the Singapore-flagged container vessel — MV Wan Hai 503 — which caught fire after explosions off the Kerala coast.
The Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, Yu Jing, posted on X: “On June 9, MV Wan Hai 503 encountered an onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal, Kerala. Of the total 22 crew members on board, 14 are Chinese, including 6 from Taiwan. Our gratitude goes to the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue. We wish further search operations successful and the injured crew members a speedy recovery.”
Earlier on Monday, the vessel, which was on its way from Colombo to Nhava Sheva, caught fire after an explosion under deck in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Kozhikode in Kerala.
The incident was reported when the vessel was approximately 78 nautical miles off Beypore.
Of the 22 people on board, 18 jumped into the sea. They have been rescued by the Navy. Four members, who went for the initial firefighting, are reported missing. Five crew members have sustained injuries, and two have suffered severe burns.
The vessel is presently adrift, and firefighting efforts by the Indian Coast Guard are underway even as fires and explosions persisted from mid‑ships to the container bay ahead of the accommodation block.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Indian Coast Guard said that the forward‑bay fire is now under control, though thick smoke remains.
“Vessel is listing approx 10–15° to port. More containers reported overboard. India Coast Guard ships Samudra Prahari & Sachet are conducting fire-fighting operations & boundary cooling. ICG Ship Samarth, along with salvors being deployed from Kochi,” said the Indian Coast Guard.
