Three killed in South Korean ship explosion

Three people were killed and eight others are missing after a cargo ship carrying petroleum exploded in waters off South Korea's western port city of Incheon on Sunday, the coast guard said.

A Korea Coast Guard spokesman said the explosion of the 4,191-tonne freight ship, with 16 crewmen -- 11 Koreans and 5 Myanmarese -- on board, happened on Sunday morning in waters north of Jawol Island near Incheon.

Five of them were rescued.

Two of the three dead crewmen were Myanmarese, the spokesman said. The cause of the explosion was not known immediately.

The ship was heading south to return to Daesan, another port on the west coast, after unloading gasoline at the Incheon port.

The coast guard and the Navy are searching for the missing sailors.

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