An anchored lighter vessel carrying Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) caught fire following an explosion at Kutubdia Point in the Bay of Bengal early Sunday, said authorities.
No casualties have immediately been reported.
Mohammad Shahadat Hossain, acting Kutubdia Upazila Nirbahi Officer, confirmed the matter saying that they informed the higher authorities, Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard.
Meanwhile, the navy personnel were engaged in rescuing the trapped crew and other staffers from the vessel, said the naval authority.
Moreover, vessels from the Coast Guard and Chittagong Port joined the navy to tame the fire.
Locals said the ‘B-LPG Sofia’ vessel caught fire with a big bang when it was at the outer anchorage of the Chittagong Port around 1am.
Chattogram’s divisional Fire Service and Control Defence (FSCD) control room said there was an Indonesian chief officer in the vessel.
It could not say how the fire started.
