6 die as fishing boat explodes, catches fire off Cebu
Members of the Coast Guard retrieve one of the bodies of a dead crew member of the FBCA King Bryan, which caught fire off the sea of Naga City in southern Cebu on Wednesday night, June 5. | Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY — Six people died while six others were hurt when a fishing boat caught fire in the waters off the City of Naga in southern Cebu on Wednesday night.
Mark Anthony Sullano, captain of FBCA King Bryan and among the six survivors, said the fire started when one of the boat’s two engines exploded while it was being repaired.
“The explosion happened so fast. It was really a tragedy,” he said in an interview.
The boat left Cawayan Port in Masbate on June 2 for Isla de Gato in northern Cebu where the crew stayed for two days before heading to southern Cebu. On board the vessel were six drums of diesel fuel and three liquefied petroleum gas tanks for their voyage.
But one of the boat’s engines malfunctioned while it was sailing to southern Cebu around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, said Petty Officer 1st Class Joel Baring of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) substation in Naga.
Later at 2 p.m., the boat continued the journey using a single engine. The crew were still repairing the engine on Wednesday night when it exploded.
“The captain said the fatalities were those who fixed the engine,” Baring said.
They were identified as Boy-boy Bacolod, 39; Ariel Codilla, 37; Jonathan Sullano, 34; Dominic Cleret, 18; Joseph Sullano, 29; and Onjing Conel, 41.
Response
Baring said the PCG received the fire alarm at 8:20 p.m. and responded immediately. He said personnel from a nearby tugboat also helped rescue the crew members and put out the fire.
Aside from the boat captain, the other survivors were Alvin Quinoñes; John Cloud Canones, 20; Alan Aviles, 18; Michael Bacas, 34; and Miguel Cortes, 32. Quinoñes, however, remained at the Cebu South General Hospital in Naga due to serious injuries.
Baring said PCG personnel did not find any explosives or other items used for illegal fishing on the vessel.
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On Thursday, authorities also found no oil spill around the area where the fishing boat caught fire.
Baring said the boat captain claimed they had all the documents to prove that their fishing activities were legal. While these were burned during the explosion, Baring said Sullano assured them that the boat owner still had copies of all the documents.
The PCG is trying to bring what remains of the boat ashore since the area where the explosion happened is a shipping route.
