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Friday, July 08, 2005
222 passengers, crew rescued from burning ship
By Al Jacinto
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Philippine Navy personnel, backed by US troops, rescued Thursday more than 200 passengers from a burning ferry off the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said the Princess of the World--carrying 108 passengers, 109 crewmembers, and five sea marshals--was sailing to Zamboanga City from Manila when the fire broke out several nautical miles off Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province.
It was not yet known if the fire was accidental or terrorism-related, officials said.
The ship, owned by Sulpicio Lines, had made brief stop in the central province of Iloilo to unload passengers. The cause of the fire is still unknown, said Coast Guard Captain Gilbert Rueras.
"They abandoned the ship and the passengers are all in the life rafts. We don't know what triggered the fire or if there were casualties, but search and rescue operation is going on," Rueras said.
Southern Philippine naval chief Commodore Rufino Lopez said a small team of US soldiers was assisting in the rescue operation. "We have dispatched several vessels and choppers to rescue the passengers and a few American soldiers are helping us in the operation," Lopez said.
Most of those rescued were brought to Siocon town, said provincial army commander Brigadier General Emmanuel Cayton. "The rescued were brought to Siocon town being the nearest to the site," he said.
The US soldiers in Zamboanga City were part of a larger group that had trained Filipino troops in anti-terror warfare early this year.
Although several dozens in number, they still continue to assist and advice the Philippine military in its anti-terror campaign as part of Washington's security assistance to Manila.
Last year, a Filipino ferry caught fire after it was bombed by the Abu Sayyaf group tied to al-Qaeda terror network in Manila bay, killing more than 100 people, authorities said. |
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