Crew member dead in Emerald Princess cruise ship explosion at Port Chalmers

A crew member has been killed on board the cruise ship Emerald Princess at Port Chalmers wharf after a gas cylinder exploded. St John confirmed the death of a man in the 5pm explosion. "We did not transport any patient from the scene - one person was deceased at the scene," St John spokesperson Ian Henderson said. Preliminary reports that nobody was injured were incorrect, Port Otago chief executive Geoff Plunket said. "There was a loud explosion on board and a gas cylinder appears to have exploded. It is a very serious incident on board the vessel." The explosion was at the stern of the 113,000-tonne ship, which can carry 3082 passengers. After the gas bottle exploded it flew off the ship, landing on the wharf. People were on the wharf at the time but none of them were injured. Carnival Australia spokesperson David Jones said a crew member was killed in the explosion. "First reports indicate that the incident happened during some technical work on the hydraulic launching system on a tender vessel," he said.