INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Over 20 crew members, including the ship captain of MV Filipinas Surigao del Norte of Cokaliong Shipping Lines, were rushed to hospitals in Cebu City for treatment after being exposed to sulfuric acid inside the vessel at past 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Jessie Nieves, the ship’s second mate, said the sealed chemical fell while being loaded by a forklift inside the ship.
“The chemical was bound for Calbayog [in Samar]. It was put on a forklift but unfortunately, it suddenly fell,” he said in Cebuano.
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Nieves said many crew members suffered nausea while some vomited after inhaling the chemical. The ship captain, Ervin Lumbab, was among those brought to the hospital. More than 10 crew members were treated by a medical team from the Cebu Port Authority.