A massive fireball has erupted after a fuel transport barge has caught fire in a pristine bay on a remote Vanuatu island, injuring at least three people.
The Western Star, a barge fitted out to carry fuel and cargo, burst into flames on Wednesday in South West Bay on Malekula, Vanuatu's second largest island.
Two maritime workers were injured, with one crewman being airlifted to the hospital, according to Vanuatu maritime safety commissioner John Less Naupati. There were no known deaths.
The vessel was believed to have arrived in South West Bay to unload fuel. The Western Star is owned by the Solomon Islands shipping company Silentworld. Pacific Energy contracted the company, which also owns two other vessels, to supply petroleum and diesel to Vanuatu's islands.
A Silentworld spokesman said on Thursday morning that a tugboat with a containment boom had arrived at the scene, but early reports suggested that the ship's hull was intact and there had been no diesel spill.
He said that all precautions are being taken and that we are working closely with the office of the maritime regulator.
The authorities in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila scrambled to get response crews to the island, with a shortage of aircraft so emergency assessors did not reach the island until Wednesday afternoon. Fisheries and environment officials were expected to arrive Thursday morning.