- An explosion and fire off a central Philippine province claimed the lives of at least six Filipino crew members of a fishing boat.
- Rescuers saved six others, and one crew member was in critical condition.
- The explosion and fire occurred after an engine trouble on the boat, causing injuries and panic among others.
Amid ongoing treatment at a hospital, surviving crewmembers, including the skipper of the F/B King Bryan, remained unable to provide details to investigators due to trauma following the explosion and fire onboard the vessel Wednesday night, approximately 8 kilometers (5 miles) off Naga city in Cebu province, as stated by coast guard officials.
The coast guard reported that one of the injured crewmen was in critical condition at a hospital in Cebu.
Video and pictures issued by the coast guard depicted flames and smoke billowing from the fishing boat as rescuers scanned the waters in the darkness. Coast guard personnel carried crewmembers with burn injuries to safety.
An engine trouble seemingly afflicted the wooden-hulled boat, which had bamboo outriggers, before an explosion and fire engulfed the vessel, causing injuries to crewmembers and compelling others to jump into the sea in panic. A passing tugboat aided in extinguishing the blaze, and coast guard officials launched a search and rescue operation.
Frequent storms, poorly maintained boats, overcrowding, and spotty enforcement of safety regulations contribute to sea accidents being common in the Philippine archipelago.
In December 1987, an overcrowded ferry, the Dona Paz, sank after colliding with a fuel tanker, resulting in the deaths of more than 4,300 people in what some regard as Asia’s Titanic, the world’s worst peacetime sea disaster.
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