Members of Coast Guard (CG) and Bangladesh Navy rescued 32 people from a lighter vessel that caught fire at Kutubdia Point in the Bay of Bengal early Sunday, said authorities.

Lieutenant Shakib Mehbub, an official of the east zone of the CG in Kutubdia, confirmed the matter saying that crews and other staffs of the vessel jumped off the vessel in the sea after it caught fire around 1am.

Later, the floating crew and others were rescued, he said. Earlier, the anchored vessel carrying Liquefied National Gas (LNG) caught fire following an explosion at Kutubdia Point.

Mohammad Shahadat Hossain, acting Kutubdia upazila nirbahi officer, said that they informed the higher authorities, Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard.

Locals said the ‘B-LPG Sofia’ vessel caught fire with a big bang when it was at the outer anchorage of the Chittagong Port around 1am.