A fire on oil tanker Jag Leela in the port of Belawan on the northeast coast of Indonesian Sumatra on Monday killed at least seven people and injured 22. The 250-metre long ship was docked for repairs when a fire broke out.
On Monday morning around 8.30 am local time two explosions were first heard, after which flames and thick black smoke could be seen. At that time dozens of people were still trapped on board. The fire brigade tried to extinguish the fire from another ship.
The fire also spread to another ship that was ashore next to the Jag Leela. At 7.30 pm the fire was extinguished. Due to the force of the explosions, the houses in the area were also slightly damaged. The cause of the explosions and the fire are still unknown.
This article first appeared (in Dutch) on Nieuwsblad Transport, which is also published by SWZ|Maritime’s publishing partner Promedia.
