Chemical Incident at Lyttelton Port Injures Four

Four people needed treatment here at Lyttelton Port after a chemical incident. It happened on a Friday morning, and Fire and Emergency were called around 9:40 AM. They received reports that two people were trapped in a tank on a ship.

Firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus, had to rescue those two people from the tank. After they were pulled out, first aid was given, and then St John took over. St John reported that four patients were taken to Christchurch Hospital. Three of them were in serious condition, and one was in moderate condition.

To respond to this incident, four ambulances, two rapid response units, and two operations managers were sent out. The Port spokesperson mentioned that the incident occurred on a vessel that was in dry dock. Maritime New Zealand is investigating it. No staff from Lyttelton Port were involved. The spokesperson directed further inquiries to the owners of the Australian-flagged fishing vessel, which is named the *Antarctic Discovery*. The owners, Australian Longline Fishing, have been approached for comment.