Rescue ship located; cargo ship sinks
Associated Press
First Posted 13:13:00 12/17/2008
Filed Under: Maritime Accidents, Waterway & Maritime Transport
MANILA, Philippines--The Coast Guard has located one of its rescue vessels that lost radio contact in rough seas in the central Philippines on Wednesday while on its way to help survivors of a sunken cargo ship, officials said.
A helicopter and other rescue ships found the Coast Guard vessel 3504 with its engine broken several miles off Sibay island near the tourist resort of Boracay, said Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Gary Dale Gimotea.
Radio contact was lost but crew members used their mobile phones to call in their coordinates, he said, adding the vessel will be towed to the nearest port.
They were responding to a distress call Tuesday by a cargo vessel loaded with cement that sank off Caluya island in nearby Antique province, killing one crew member, Gimotea said. The remaining crew of 19 were rescued by a passing vessel and brought to Caluya, he said.
Rough waves were reported at the time of the sinking, he said.
Search operations meanwhile resumed for 10 passengers of a ferry that capsized in northeastern Cagayan province on Sunday, drowning 35 people.
Coast Guard chief Vice Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo said the ferry was authorized to carry only 50 people but twice as many packed on board for a trip to buy Christmas food and other holiday supplies.
He said criminal charges will be filed against those who allowed the overloaded Maejan to sail. The owner and her daughter were among the dead, police said.
Sea accidents are common at this time of the year because of rough waters as well as badly maintained boats and weak enforcement of safety regulations.
Last month, a cargo ship sank in rough seas north of Cagayan, and passing vessels plucked 16 of 20 people from shark-infested waters. Weeks earlier, separate storms capsized two passenger boats in the central Philippines, drowning more than 50 people.
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