Around 11:30 p.m., on Wednesday, June 5, staff from the Melinka Port Captaincy received a call reporting that the barge “Patagonia II” had suffered an explosion on board, presumably in the habitability sector, at which time which was anchored in the Lagreze Bay sector, Melinka, Aysén region.
“As a local Maritime Authority, we ordered the departure of the Rescue Service Boat (LSR) 4420. After the support of civil resources, the Naval Boat managed to evacuate an injured person, who fulfilled the role of skipper of the boat. Meanwhile, the other two female crew members were evacuated unharmed and without incident,” explained the Melinka Port Captain, Littoral First Lieutenant Izidor Fellhandler.
Likewise, the personnel of the LSR 4420 provided security to the barge and initiated the first actions to extinguish the fire with the support of other civilian vessels and volunteer personnel from the Melinka fire department.
Once the emergency was controlled, the barge “Patagonia II” was successfully towed to a mooring buoy with the support of the barge “Doña Luisa”, where it will be examined by the corresponding entities.
For its part, the Maritime Authority has also initiated a Maritime Administrative Summary Investigation with the objective of determining the causes, circumstances and responsibilities of the event.
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