At least one person has died and four others were hospitalised after a fire erupted on a massive cruise ship. 

The World Legacy cruise ship, which had 271 passengers and 388 crew members on board, was en route to Singapore when a fire broke out in the lounge area on deck nine at about 4am, The Straits Times reported. 

The same media outlet also said an update from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said there were 224 passengers on board, of whom 185 were Singaporeans, based on preliminary information provided at the time.

Around 600 passengers were safely evacuated, MPA said in a following update. It is understood the fire happened at the lounge area on deck nine of the World Legacy at about 4am, and was extinguished by the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF) marine firefighters.

The remaining crew will disembark progressively, MPA also said, adding that it has established a safety zone around the vessel, and is issuing navigational broadcasts to advise passing vessels to keep clear.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the Indonesian crew member who died was a 23-year-old laundry attendant aboard the ship, the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore in a statement today quoted by The Straits Times. He was found collapsed in the lobby of deck nine by firefighters.

The body has been transferred ashore, and the relevant authorities are handling the follow-up, MPA said. The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore has also been informed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

In another update, the MPA said: “All 271 passengers from the Liberia-registered passenger vessel World Legacy have been safely evacuated. A fire aboard the vessel has been extinguished and the vessel is stable.”

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A passenger, who gave her name as Quynh, said they were asked to stop all activities at about 4.20am.

“Everyone panicked,” she told The Straits Times. “That’s when the loudspeaker announced the fire and asked everyone to move to deck seven.”

Another passenger, Mr Hong Wencun, 23, the captain of a Malaysian lion dance troupe on board the cruise, said he heard from other passengers that the fire occurred in a karaoke room on deck nine. “We were supposed to (go there to) sing later, but fortunately, we didn’t go. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable,” he told Chinese media outlet Shin Min.

A man who only wanted to be known as Mr Yang, told Shin Min he was in the casino when the fire broke out at 4am.

Mr Yang, who had boarded the cruise at 9pm on Feb 19 and was scheduled to return at 7am on Feb 20, said he felt something was amiss when he saw passengers running out of the casino. As he followed them out, he saw thick smoke billowing from the upper deck of the ship and there was a burning smell in the air. “Many passengers were frightened and ran out… The scene was noisy and chaotic,” he said quoted by The Straits Times.