Boat blast off Australia kills up to 3 refugees

SYDNEY - An explosion or fire Thursday aboard a refugee boat being escorted to a detention center by Australia's navy has killed up to three people, police and the government said.

The cause of the blast was unclear, and police speculated it may have originated in the engine compartment.

The small boat carrying 49 people was intercepted by the navy Wednesday in the Indian Ocean and was under escort Thursday to the remote Australian territory of Christmas Island, where the government processes refugee applicants, when the blast took place.

Police in Western Australia state said three people were believed dead and two missing, but the Home Affairs Ministry gave no numbers and said it was in the process of confirming details.

"Border protection agencies have reported there has been an explosion or serious fire on board this vessel," Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus said in a statement. "There are reports from personnel on the scene that this incident has resulted in fatalities, serious injuries and that a number of occupants of the vessel are missing."

He said two navy patrol boats were providing assistance following the incident near Ashmore Reef, in the Timor Sea about 520 miles (840 kilometers) from the northernmost state capital, Darwin.

"The government's first priority is to address the immediate situation and to ensure the safety of life at sea," Debus said.

Earlier, police Sgt. Greg Lambert in Western Australia, the state nearest to the area where the boat was intercepted on Wednesday, said it was believed that three people were killed and two were missing.

Lambert said it was believed the explosion may have occurred in the boat's engine compartment, but noted that the case was not under the jurisdiction of the police force and referred further questions to the government.

Refugees were boarded onto the two navy vessels and were being taken to Darwin for treatment, Western Australia Police Assistant Commissioner John McRoberts told Fairfax Radio.

It was the sixth boat this year to illegally enter Australian waters carrying asylum seekers.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)