The incident, which occurred on Wednesday night, resulted in a fire in the engine room.
An explosion in the engine room of the barge Patagonia II has left a crew member seriously injured while the vessel was anchored in the bay of Melinka, in Chile.
The injured crew member sustained burns over a significant portion of his body. The Navy quickly organized a rescue operation, transferring the individual to the Melinka care center for evaluation.
The remaining crew members were safely transferred to another vessel in the bay, with no further injuries reported, according to Chilean media outlet Soychile.
Lieutenant Izidor Fellhandler, captain of the Port of Melinka, stated, “The affected vessel was towed to the dock where firefighters and rescue teams worked together to contain the flames. Although the situation was stabilized, the causes of the fire remain under investigation.”
Two crew members will be summoned by the Prosecutor’s Office to provide information regarding the events leading up to the fire.
