A Greek-owned chemical tanker has been rocked by an explosion of the coast of Cyprus leaving two crewmen with serious burns.
The incident aboard the 7,000-dwt Athlos (built 2010) early on Saturday after the vessel had sailed from the port of Larnaca.
The explosion reportedly threw five crewmembers into the sea, but they were all recovered and later admitted to Nicosia General Hospital.
Three of the crew were later released, but two remain in hospital with extensive burns, Cyprus' Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) said.
The two seriously injured, both Indian nationals, are said to have suffered burns of 30% and 70% respectively, according to a naval official.
The Maltese-flagged ship was in ballast at the time of the explosion with reports of only around 100t of bunkers aboard.
The vessel later ran aground around 200 meters from shore near the village of Zygi. There were no reports of any pollution.
The tanker, with 17 crew members including 7 Greeks, 9 Indians and a Georgian, was heading to the Greek port of Aspropyrgos.
