Mangaluru | Eighteen crew members rescued from the blaze-hit Singapore-flagged container ship were safely brought to the New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) Coast Guard berth at Panambur by Indian Naval Ship INS Surat.
Among the rescued, two are said to be in critical condition, while four sustained minor injuries and 12 others suffered varying levels of trauma.
The injured were evacuated and transported to AJ Hospital in Kuntikana here late on Monday night.
“The critically injured were stabilised onboard INS Surat, and shifted on arrival under close medical supervision. Immediate evacuation was our priority,” a Coast Guard official told reporters.
He added that immigration, port, and police authorities worked in unison to ensure a seamless handover and medical transfer.
Speaking to media here, Dinesh Kadam, Plastic Surgeon at AJ Hospital said, "Around 11.30 pm, six of them were bought by the coast guard. They were all on the ship on the vessel. They had not jumped into water as it was reported. They were all in the vessel and were rescued from lifeboat by the coastguard." "Out of six, two are critically injured. One has 40 per cent burns and another 30 per cent. The one who sustained 40 per cent burns is a 47-year-old male, a Chinese national. He is an engineer. He sustained burns on the face, upper and lower limbs. They both have airway burns that is much more serious. Airway burns is one thing which is likely to worsen in next few hours or few days," he said.
According to the doctor, both of them also have deep burns so they may probably require some surgical procedures later.
"Right now, they are stable. They are conscious, they are able to speak and take some liquids also. Their vitals are okay but they are being intensely monitored in the ICU." Giving details of the condition of four others, he said one of them is in the observation room. He has deep facial burns but is conscious oriented and taking food orally.
"Other three are ok. They are quite cheerful. They don't have much burn injuries but they have impacts also. Some have cut injuries, tooth loss.... There is a leak of chemical substance also because one of them (patient) said that he touched some liquid which was flowing out and sustained burns. But those are minor burns," he added.
The ship MV Wan Hai 503, which caught fire on Sunday in the Arabian Sea off Kerala coast, had 22 crew members on board. While 18 have now been rescued, four remain unaccounted for. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Port workers described emotional scenes as the injured disembarked — some helped by fellow crewmates, others in stretchers, whispering prayers of gratitude or anxiously inquiring about their missing colleagues
