Russian News Agency reported that the General Azi Aslanov oil tanker was hit by an explosion in the Sea of Azov, while rescue operations took place for three missing crew members.
Specifically, the incident took place on Saturday, October 24. The explosion happened while the vessel was sailing from the port of Kavkaz to the port of Rostov-on-Don, without a cargo, according to the Russian Emergencies Ministry.
In addition, the authorities reported that from the 13 crewmembers, 10 had been rescued, while the remaining three are said to have been thrown overboard by the blast, their search is still underway.
Three rescue vessels were heading to the site for the same. The tanker has tilted and efforts to stabilize the ship were in progress.
For the time being, the authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion, and it is suspected that the explosion may have been triggered by flammable vapours left behind from the tanker’s previous cargo.
