Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 13: In an explosion which occurred on board ONGC's drill ship Sagar Bhushan docked at Cochin Shipyard, a total of five workers were left dead. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flames, along with a police team to oversee the rescue operations.

Apart from the five killed, at least 11 are reported to be injured, with one among them being critical. They have been rushed to the nearby hospital.

According to reports, there were 20 people on board when the fire broke out. City police commissioner MP Dinesh said the fatalities were caused due to suffocation. "The situation is under control now. The fire has been doused," he told reporters.

The blast erupted on one of the water tanks of Sagar Bhushan, while the repair work was underway at the shipyard. An inquiry is likely to be conducted, however, to determine the exact cause of the explosion.

The drillship, according to reports, was docked at the Cochin shipyard for over a month now.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 13, 2018 12:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).