An explosion aboard an oil tanker outside Hong Kong’s eastern waters has left one crew member dead and six others injured.

The government dispatched two rescue helicopters after receiving a report of the blast, which happened at 4pm on Saturday aboard the Panama-registered “Chuang Yi” vessel located about 300km east of the city’s waters.

The Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre alerted the Government Flying Service, which dispatched a fixed-wing aircraft and two helicopters, each carrying a doctor.

One of the injured crew members arrives at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.

A spokesman said that when the rescue team arrived, a fire aboard the 120-metre vessel was already contained, but one crew member had died in the explosion, while another suffered second-degree burns to 30 per cent of his body. Two other workers had burns to the face. It added that strong winds and waves made operations difficult.

The first helicopter arrived at around 7pm and picked up three seriously injured crew members, all Indonesian men in their 30s, and reached Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital at around 8.45pm.

One of the injured crew members arrives at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.

The other helicopter arrived at 8pm to pick up two Indonesians and one Myanmese man who had suffered less severe injuries. They landed in Wan Chai and were taken to Queen Mary Hospital, where they remained in stable condition.

A source at the Hospital Authority said one man in serious condition was transferred from Pamela Youde hospital to Queen Mary Hospital.

Thirteen workers were aboard the vessel at the time of the explosion, according to the Government Flying Service. The remaining six were unharmed and staying on the tanker, which no longer had power, it said, adding the Marine Department and the tanker operator would handle the transfer of the dead crew member’s body.