Two Perish In High Seas Ship Explosion – Cape Cod Chronicle

BOSTON Two men died following an explosion and fire aboard a 623-foot cargo ship on the Atlantic high seas Monday morning.

At approximately 7 a.m., the captain of the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Tamar contacted watchstanders at the Coast Guard command center reporting an explosion in the ships forward storeroom. He also reported the explosion killed one crewmember andthree suffered massive burns and are in need of immediate medical attention. The ship was located about 1,300 miles east of Cape Cod.

The Coast Guard reached out to the New York Air National Guards 106th Rescue Wing and the Canadian and Portuguese Coast Guards to coordinate the emergency response. The New York Air National Guard launched an HC-130 aircrew with six pararescuers and one combat rescue officer. On Monday, the Tamar's captain notified rescuers that a second crewmember had perished from his injuries.

The fire resulting from the explosion was quickly extinguished and the cause is unknown. The ships engineering plant was unaffected and the crew is continuing on their transit to the Azores, Portugal. Their last port of call was Baltimore.

Before dawn on Wednesday, the two surviving injured crewmembers were medevaced by a Portuguese aircrew along with three New York Air National Guards 106th Rescue Wing pararescuers, who continued medical care. The aircrew arrived in Terceira Island, Azores at about 7 a.m. A Portuguese Air Force jet is scheduled to be waiting along with a medical team to bring the injured to Lisbon, Portugal for medical treatment.

The First Coast Guard District is responsible for 1,300 miles of offshore search and rescue area. After 1,300 miles, the Portuguese Coast Guard assumes coordination authorityfor cases east of the boundary.

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Two Perish In High Seas Ship Explosion - Cape Cod Chronicle