A suspected attempt to steal copper pipes from a grounded tanker turned fatal when a blast inside the vessel left four men dead and forced three others to flee, police said. The seven had allegedly entered the Nicaragua-flagged MT Al Jafzia, a merchant vessel, near Manori Island on Saturday evening to cut and steal copper pipes when the incident occurred near the engine room.

Police suspect a pipe connected to the vessel’s air-conditioning system may have burst while the men were cutting it, releasing gas. Four of the men may have subsequently suffocated after inhaling the gas, officials said. One of the survivors, Vijaya Premnath Sanjiva, 40, suffered facial injuries and was also rendered unconscious after inhaling the gas. His two associates, who allegedly helped him escape from the vessel, are absconding.

“Sanjiva told us that he became unconscious after sustaining facial injuries and inhaling the gas. When he regained consciousness, he saw two of his associates near him. Before he could understand what had happened, they took him away from the vessel,” said DCP Sandip Gughe, North Zone II.

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Four of the seven men are residents of Colaba and the remaining three are from Vasai, police said. The identities of the deceased and the two absconding men are being ascertained.

The incident came to light late Monday evening when Sanjiva made inquiries in Colaba and learnt that the men who had accompanied him to the tanker had not returned home. He then approached the Gorai police station and told officers about their alleged plan to steal copper pipes. “Police found four bodies near the engine room,” Gughe said.