Four vessels carrying methanol caught fire at a pier in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Sunday afternoon. One sailor was injured, local authorities said.
The accident happened at about 2:10 PM at the Chenjiadun pier on the Hanjiang River, when the fire suddenly broke out on one of the four vessels lying at anchor, according to the fire-control authorities of Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province.
Firefighters hose down the methanol-loaded vessels which caught fire at the Chenjiadun pier on the Hanjiang River in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province on September 2, 2007. One sailor was injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The fire soon spread to the other three vessels, burned the chemicals they carried and triggered small explosions from time to time, leaving pungent smells in the air.After catching fire the first vessel sank soon afterward.
Most of the 10 sailors aboard the vessels managed to escape after the fire broke out, and only one of them was injured.
More than 20 fire engines were dispatched to quench the fire on the three vessels. By 10 PM firemen had extinguished the fire.
Methanol is a colorless, toxic and flammable liquid. Exposure to it can cause headaches, severe abdominal, leg and back pains, loss of vision, and even death.
The four vessels, which are owned by a water transport company from east China's Jiangxi Province, were loaded with 49 tons, 10 tons, 37 tons and 480 tons of methanol, respectively. The sunken vessel hauled 49 tons.
Hanjiang River is a source of drinking water for Wuhan with a population of nearly 5 million.
The local environmental authorities have not found signs of leakage of methanol, but the municipal government has organized a group of experts to prepare precautionary measures for fear of chemical leakage.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are under way.
(Xinhua News Agency September 3, 2007)
