One Dead, Seven Missing after Tanker Explosion in Thailand

An explosion Tuesday on a ship in central Thailand’s Samut Songkhram province killed at least one person and injured at least 10 others, including Burmese crew members, the Harbour Department of Thailand said in a statement. 

It said 16 crewmen were on the Bangkok-registered oil tanker Smooth SEA 22, at the time of the explosion. The names of the dead and injured have not yet been released. 

The Harbour Department said there was no oil on board the 2,998 gross ton vessel, which was built in 2018.

The tanker exploded and caught fire at approximately 9:20 a.m. inside a shipyard at Ruammitr Dockyard Co., Ltd. on the Mae Klong river in Laem Yai subdistrict, Mueang Samut Songkhram district, firefighters told BenarNews. A number of nearby houses were damaged, according to Benar News.