New Delhi, May 27 -- In the early hours of Sunday, a cargo ship capsized and sank off the coast of Kochi, Kerala, spelling trouble for a vast coastal stretch. Apart from over 84 tonnes of diesel and more than 367 tonnes of furnace oil, the Liberian-flagged vessel was carrying over 640 containers, many full of hazardous cargo.

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Alarmingly, a dozen had calcium carbide, which reacts with water to release acetylene, a highly flammable gas that puts marine life at harsh risks. The ship sank about 70km off Kochi's coast, but flotsam has shown up on the shores of Kollam and Alappuzha.

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A sign...