This photo taken on September 28, 2023 shows an aerial view of a Chinese coast guard ship on patrol near the Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal (background) during a maritime surveillance flight by the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
Three Filipino fishers were killed after a foreign vessel rammed into their boat. The incident happened while the unknown commercial ship was transiting the water off Scarborough Shoal.
The tragedy was announced by the Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday, Oct. 3. Here are other major details revealed by PCG officials.
Philippines: Foreign Vessel Kills 3 Filipino Fishers-Is It A Chinese Boat?
This photo taken on September 21, 2023 shows the sun rising past a Philippine fishing boat near the Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea. China, which claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, snatched control of Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines in 2012.
PCG said that a crew member of the Filipino fishing boat, Dearyn, provided them with the major details about the accident that happened on Monday, Oct. 2.
The FFB crew member said that after the tragedy, the Filipino fishing vessel was moored 85 nautical miles northwest of Scarborough Shoal, as reported by GMA News Online.
This ship is locally known as "Bajo de Masinloc." Dearyn claimed that the foreign vessel that rammed the Filipino ship was registered under the flag of the Marshall Islands.
Dearyn further stated that the Bajo de Masinloc submerged after the incident. Philippine News Agency reported that 11 crew members survived the incident.
They used their service boats to leave the vicinity waters. Unfortunately, three crew members of the FFB died. The remaining crew members had to transport their dead colleagues to Barangay Cato in Infanta, Pangasinan.
These include two crew members (38 and 62 years old), as well as their 47-year-old captain. PCG said that all the casualties were residents of Zambales province.
In the coast guard's assessment report, it was revealed that the foreign vessel that collided with the Filipino fishing boat was an oil tanker.
Read Also: [Update] Philippines Removes Chinese-Built Floating Barrier in Disputed South China Sea Region
What Bongbong Marcos Says About the Boat Incident
Based on the flag seen on the foreign vessel, the oil tanker is not from China. PCG officials haven't disclosed any specific details regarding the oil tanker that rammed the Bajo de Masinloc.
However, the Philippine Coast Guard said that they would reach out for the flag of the foreign boat. Aside from this, PCG also said that the Port State Control Officers will visit the next port of the oil tanker.
Meanwhile, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promised that those responsible for the tragedy in Scarborough Shoal would be held accountable.
Bongbong added that the Philippine government is still investigating the incident.
"We are deeply saddened by the deaths of the three fishermen, including the captain of the fishing vessel," said the Filipino leader.
"The incident is still under investigation to ascertain the details and circumstances surrounding the collision between the fishing boat and a still unidentified commercial vessel," he added.
Related Article: Philippines Slams China's Floating Barrier in Contested South China Sea, Claiming It Prevents Filipinos From Fishing
