Six missing in ship fire

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: Six crew members, including a Korean national, went missing after the Singapore flag tanker MT Lido caught fire in Sungai Gerong quay here yesterday.

Swasono Adi, an official of the local office of the state- owned oil company Pertamina, said the incident began at 5:30 a.m.. The fire was put out about 40 minutes later.

The 20-year-old Japanese-built tanker was empty and being cleaned when the fire started, the official Antara news agency reported.

The authorities identified those going missing as Rim Chang Bin, 49; Eko Harianto, 25; Harsojo, 32; Umar Saleh, 52; Sugianto, 35; and Tri Pamungkas, 24. Rim was Korean and the rest Indonesian.

The 14,442 Dead-Weight-Ton tanker -- 141 meters long and 20 meters wide -- exploded, rattling the windows of homes near the area.

Police said the cause of the accident was still under investigation. (pan)