What was meant to be a celebratory getaway with friends quickly turned into a nightmare for a passenger onboard the World Legacy when a fire broke out<\/a><\/span> in the early hours of Feb 20.<\/p>\n Stomper Lee <\/b><\/span>said he and his group boarded the ship on Feb 19 for a short festive cruise.<\/p>\n Photos he shared with Stomp show them enjoying themselves before the incident, including tossing yusheng to mark Chinese New Year.<\/p>\n While he was at the casino on Deck 3 with his friends on Feb 20 at about 4am, Lee said he heard the vessel’s horn sound seven short blasts followed by one long blast \u2014 the internationally recognised signal to abandon ship.<\/p>\n Shortly after, passengers were told to stop all activities and move towards Deck 7.<\/p>\n According to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Liberia-registered vessel was heading towards Singapore when a fire broke out at about 4am in a lounge on Deck 9. There were 271 passengers \u2013 including 139 Singaporeans \u2013 and 388 crew members onboard.<\/p>\n An Indonesian crew member later died. The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore said he was a 23-year-old laundry attendant aboard the ship.<\/p>\n He was found collapsed in the lobby of Deck 9 by firefighters, according to The Straits Times<\/a><\/span>. Despite medical assistance, he was pronounced dead at 4.30am, with the cause of death determined as cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to asphyxiation.<\/p>\n MPA said all passengers were safely evacuated and four people were taken to hospital.<\/p>\n The vessel is anchored at Raffles Reserved Anchorage and the cause of the fire is under investigation.<\/p>\n Lee, who works in the marine industry and has experience in vessel salvage operations, said his professional background gave him some understanding of emergency procedures.<\/p>\n He said that upon reaching Deck 7, he noticed many passengers appearing confused and anxious.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/stomp\/6cce04d37baa8c8f3e875f725fc10cf90ab4d9cbe928aac6c1da8d6cc4e91e72\/yusheng.jpg?w=360&f=webp)
<\/picture>