Regional Crime Laboratory Chief Nestor Sator said they conducted tests but found no traces of explosive materials from where the fire started.
“With these findings, dili na mabalaka ang publiko (there is no reason for the public to worry). Cebu is not a place that is prone to bombings,” he said.
Police and the Philippine Coast Guard have already ruled out terrorism, but the Crime Laboratory’s Scene of the Crime Operations (Soco) 7 was still required to submit its laboratory results.
Sator explained that their role was just to support the investigation’s technical aspect by determining if explosives caused the blast or not.
The final laboratory results were released Thursday afternoon.
A Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) team that investigated the explosion already blamed mechanical failure resulting from the watch-keepers and engineers’ negligence.
Arnie Santiago, Marina Enforcement Office chief and Complaints and Investigation Division concurrent chief, earlier said the rapid exit of compressed gas from an engine leak caused the explosion.
The dead crewmen inhaled carbon monoxide, a poisonous substance released by burning engine fuel.
Santiago said there was also no proper ventilation, which contributed to pressure build-up.
“But in spite of these findings, the police offices in the region remain extra vigilant bisag tinuod nga way mga terrorista dinhi (although there are no terrorists here),” Sator said. (MEA)
