Crewman killed as oil tanker fire rages for second day off Sri Lanka coast

COLOMBO: A Panamanian-registered oil tanker burned out of control for a second day off Sri Lanka on Friday as authorities confirmed a Filipino crew member was killed in an explosion and fears grew of a major new oil spill in the Indian Ocean.

Sri Lankan navy and Indian coastguard vessels fired water cannon at the blaze on the New Diamond, which issued a distress call Thursday after its engine room exploded. A Sri Lankan helicopter was dropping water from the air on the blaze at the rear of the vessel.

The fire had not spread to the 270,000 tonnes of crude and 1,700 tonnes of diesel the tanker is carrying, Sri Lanka's navy said. "Preliminary information from the ship's crew confirmed that a Filipino seaman on board had died in a boiler explosion," the navy said in a statement. All but one of the 23-member crew - 18 Filipinos and five Greek nationals - were rescued on Thursday.

The ship's third officer, also a Filipino, had suffered burn injuries and was taken to the Kalmunai hospital, 360 kilometres (225 miles) east of the capital Colombo.