RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Brazil's main grains port of Paranagua in the southern state of Parana closed on Monday after a vessel exploded, a Parana state civil defense service official said.
Out of a crew of 31, four were still unaccounted for and 20 were injured, the official, Alessandro Galeski, said.
He said the vessel was flying a Chilean flag but he could not immediately confirm local press reports that the name of the ship was "Vicuna".
A Paranagua port spokesman said that the vessel exploded as it was loading methanol next to state oil company Petrobras' terminal where there are many many fuel tanks.
"The flames could be seen from a long way off," said the port spokesman, adding that the vessel later sank.
TV Globo said two explosions occurred at around 7:30 p.m. local time on the vessel.
"A vessel exploded when the vessel hit the pier of a fuel terminal operated by Cataline," said Edgar Yamagami, a Parana state government spokesman. "Everything has stopped at the port."
Paranagua is Brazil's main port for exporting soy products, the country's biggest agricultural export worth some $8 billion in 2003. However little soy is currently being exported as the main soy export season starts in February.
http://news.google.com/news?q=%22explosion%22&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&tab=nn&oi=newsr
6 missing in Brazil fuel tanker explosion
Xinhua, China - 7 hours ago
15 (Xinhuanet) -- A fuel tanker explosion at the southern Brazilian port of Paranagua causes six crew members on board missing, port official said late Monday. ...
Explosion on fuel tanker in Brazil kills 31: report Channel News Asia
Explosion on fuel tanker in Brazil kills 31: report Channel News Asia
6 missing in Brazil fuel tanker blast -- official Philippine Daily Inquirer
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This is the most up to date info I could find. The rest was coming from Xinhua, and who could question them? It's not showing up in any of the major Brazilian news sources as far as I could see, possibly because there were no deaths, in spite of earlier reports.
Remember the tanker that blew up while re-fueling in New York? Not much was said about that. This could be a way to re-open the info line.