Explosion on Tanker Kills Two, One Missing

[Brief] An explosion on an inland product tanker in the port of Duisberg Thursday killed two and injured three, with one worker remaining missing.

The explosion occurred at about 0840 hours on the vessel Julius Rutgers, which was in shipyard for repairs. Two yard workers were thrown from the ship by the blast and killed; a search team of emergency responders, including divers, are searching for one worker who remains missing.

          Image courtesy Valentina / Twitter

Media report that the shock wave cracked windows nearby and threw ship components weighing hundreds of pounds up to half a kilometer away from the vessel. The fire department had the blaze under control in about an hour; the smoke could be seen from much of the city.

Image courtesy CrossCruiser / Twitter

Authorities suspect a gas explosion sparked by work on the tanker as the cause; the fire department told Germany's RP-Online that a measurement of flammable vapors in a cargo hold may not have been taken prior to the blast, leaving workers unaware of dangerous conditions.

The Rutgers is operated by Reederei Jaegers, specialists in product and chemical transportation.

For additional photos and video of the scene, see RP-Online’s report here.