Mindanao, Philippines: four dead, nine missing
Crew abandons landing craft in storm near the northern end of Mindanao, Philippines.
Seven members of a 20-person landing craft crew have been rescued by the Philippine Coastguard (PCG), Philippine National Police and private citizens. The landing craft Cebu Great Ocean went aground in rough weather on Monday afternoon, says the Philippine Coast Guard.
The grounding happened as the region experienced high winds due to the passage of Typhoon Surigae to the east of Mindanao. Winds of up to 120mph were recorded near the epicentre and inter-island shipping was disrupted.
Officials say the vessel lost her anchor in the storm and began taking on water. She then drifted about 40 miles before running aground.
Seven survivors were rescued on Wednesday from multiple locations along a ten-mile stretch of coast between Malimono and San Francisco near Mindanao’s northern tip.
Commodore Armand Balilo, spokesman for the PCG told reporters that the survivors had been drifting in the water for two days. Four bodies were found in the same area by local residents.
The PCG is continuing to search for the remaining crew and is being assisted by a plane provided by the vessel’s owners. The landing craft was carrying a cargo of nickel ore at the time of the grounding and 2,000 litres of diesel fuel. No pollution has been reported.
