Wan Hai 503 ship disaster: Decomposed body washes ashore near Kerala beach
[Left] Kerala Police and rescue officials usher in the decomposed body to an ambulance on June 19, 2025 ; [Right] The Wan Hai 503 ship, in a photo posted by Indian Coast Guard on June 9, 2025
The decomposed body of a man, suspected to be one of the missing crew members from the Wan Hai 503 ship disaster, washed ashore near Arthunkal beach in Alappuzha district, Kerala. Arthunkal Police received information about the body around 6.30 am on June 17.
Arthunkal SHO Madhu P.G. told THE WEEK that the body is partially decomposed, making identification quite difficult. “Still, it seems like a foreigner—blue jeans and other indicators match,” he said.
According to the police, there are no visible injuries on the body, and it appears to be a case of drowning.
“But the inquest hasn’t been conducted yet. We’ve already filed an FIR. Once the inquest is done and the body is formally identified, we’ll be able to gather more information. That’s why we’re preserving it for now,” the officer added.
The Singapore-flagged container vessel had a 22-member crew. Eighteen of them were successfully rescued with the support of the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy.
Among the rescued, five sustained injuries, including two who are in critical condition. Of the four crew members still missing, two are from Taiwan, one from Myanmar, and one from Indonesia.
The Indian salvage tug Offshore Warrior currently has a tow connection with Wan Hai 503, which is positioned more than 53 nautical miles west of Kochi. According to a report from this morning, the vessel is experiencing heavy pitching due to rough weather. The onboard crew also battled adverse conditions yesterday while continuing firefighting efforts.
Captain Uday Pratap Yadav, Master of Offshore Warrior, reported that the tow remains intact. However, the vessel faced difficulties in carrying out a ship-to-ship transfer of provisions yesterday due to the rough seas. Fresh provisions are expected to be transferred on Tuesday.
Weather conditions continue to challenge ongoing operations, with sustained westerly winds of 32–40 knots, intermittent heavy rain, gusts of up to 52 knots, and poor visibility.
Maritime