Fire, explosion aboard Coastal Jaguar near Visakhapatnam; 28 crew members rescued

Fire engulfed an offshore support vessel 'Coastal Jaguar' off the coast of Visakhapatnam on Monday, forcing the crew to abandon it and jump into the sea to save themselves.

A total of 28 out of the 29 crew onboard have been rescued and search is on for one missing crew.

According to a defence release, there was reportedly a loud explosion onboard the vessel at 11.30 am and thick smoke emanated from it.

#WATCH Visakhapatnam: At 11:30 am today, 29 crew members of Offshore Support Vessel Coastal Jaguar jumped into water after a fire engulfed the vessel. 28 rescued by Indian Coast Guard. Search for 1 missing crew underway. Exact cause of fire yet to be ascertained. #AndhraPradesh pic.twitter.com/pksYGrC9ZE

- ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2019

The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

A Coast Guard ship 'Rani Rashmoni, which was in the area, was diverted to coordinate the rescue operations and it rescued the distressed crew.

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