Fish farm barge captain badly hurt in explosion in Chile
A crew member has been seriously injured after an explosion on a fish farm barge in Melinka Bay, in the Aysén region of Chile.
The event occurred on Wednesday night, when the Melinka Harbor Master’s Office received a call from the skipper of the barge Argón VI, reporting that an explosion had occurred on board the barge Patagonia II, registered in Talcahuano.
The injured man, who was the captain of the barge, was transferred to the Melinka Rural Health post by the Navy, then sent by air to the Coyhaique Regional Hospital.
The other two crew members, both of whom are women, were evacuated from the barge without incident. They are unharmed and waiting to give statements before the Maritime Prosecutor’s Office of the Maritime Government of Aysén.
Once the emergency was controlled, the Patagonia II vessel was towed to a mooring buoy with the support of the Doña Luisa barge, where it will remain at a safe distance to be examined by the corresponding entities.
The Maritime Authority has initiated a Maritime Administrative Summary Investigation to determine the causes, circumstances, and responsibilities of the incident.
