Firefighters Try to Put Out a Burning Oil Tanker Off Sri Lanka; there is at least one dead

This photo released by the Sri Lankan Air Force shows smoke rising after the fire broke out aboard the New Diamond.

New Delhi (CNN) -

Fire crews from Sri Lanka and India are working to put out a massive fire aboard a tanker that has been burning since Thursday off the coast of the South Asian island nation.

A member of the Philippine crew died after a boiler exploded in the main engine room, causing the fire, the Sri Lankan Navy said.

All the other people on board, 22 in total, were rescued from the ship, which is carrying 270,000 metric tons of crude oil.

The photos and video showed thick black smoke billowing from one end of the Panamanian-flagged tanker, the MT New Diamond, 70 kilometers from Sangamankanda Point in southern Sri Lanka.

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In this photo provided by the Sri Lankan Navy, an injured MT New Diamond crew member is transported on a stretcher to an ambulance.

The 20-year-old ship had been destined from Ahmadi in Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip, according to Marine Traffic, which monitors global shipping.

Speaking to CNN, Sri Lankan Navy Captain Indika Desilva said that as of Friday morning local time, the fire "was still burning."

“Efforts are being made to prevent the fire from spreading to the oil cargo.

Information on an oil spill has not yet been received.

The fire fighting continues, ”he said.

The Sri Lankan Navy, the Sri Lankan Air Force, the Sri Lankan Port Authority, the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard are working to put out the fire.

According to a statement from the Sri Lankan Navy, the fire currently "has had no effect" on the oil stored on board and "the necessary measures are being taken to prevent the fire from spreading to these crude storage facilities."

"There is still no risk of the ship spilling oil into the ocean," the statement said.

Sri Lanka