Story By: Alex Cope, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

Video Credit: AsiaWire

This footage shows the huge inferno on an oil tanker that killed one Italian sailor and left 16 others in hospital.

The startling scene was recorded after an explosion on board the Synzania tanker, which was flying under the Italian flag, after it docked at the Turkish petrochemical company Petkim’s plant, which Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company SOCAR operates, in the Izmir province in western Turkey.

Local media report Petkim officials said the tanker had been docked at the plant “for the filling of liquid hydrocarbons” when the fire suddenly broke out for unknown reasons.

Pictures Credit: AsiaWire

Reports state that Italian national and crew member Roberto Montegurdia was killed in the blaze while 14 other sailors of Italian nationality, one Petkim worker and one Romanian sailor were all hospitalised.

Reports suggest all those hospitalised have now been discharged.

In the video, the huge fire can be seen sending a plume of smoke into the night air from the vessel.

Petkim said in a statement that their teams immediately intervened with the blaze and it was extinguished.

The company said that the facility is continuing to operate as normal while SOCAR are investigating the causes of the fire. The investigation is ongoing.

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