The damage from the explosion and fire that devastated the KMTC Hong Kong, a South Korean general cargo ship, in Thailand on May 25, 2019, will cost in excess of US$3.1 million, according to multiple national and international reports which have quoted the Thailand Port Authority.
The explosion took place at the Laem Chabang Seaport. The KMTC Hong Kong had previously called at the Port of Busan, South Korea, and several Chinese ports.
According to Reuters, 130 people were taken to hospital, some with irritation to the eyes and throat, as well as minor skin burns; however, there were no major injuries.
Initial reports suggest the fire began in a container that was carrying the chemical calcium hypchlorite.
Kamolsak Phromprayoon, director of the Thailand Port Authority, was quoted in Thai newspaper The Nation saying the fire had caused widespread disruption to Laem Chabang Seaport and that the fallout from the resulting chemical spill.
Environmental campaigners, such as the Ecological Alert and Recovery – Thailand, have called on the authorities to press for compensation once an investigation has concluded.
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