MANILA: At least six Filipino crewmembers of a fishing boat were killed when an explosion and a fire hit their vessel at sea off a central Philippine province, coast guard officials said Thursday, adding six others were rescued.
Surviving crewmembers, including the skipper of the F/B King Bryan, were still being treated at a hospital or were too traumatized to tell investigators what set off the explosion and fire onboard the vessel Wednesday night about 8 kilometers (5 miles) off Naga city in Cebu province, coast guard officials said.
One of the injured crewmen was in critical condition at a hospital in Cebu, the coast guard said.
Video and pictures issued by the coast guard show flames and smoke billowing from the fishing boat as rescuers scanned the waters in the darkness. Crewmembers with burn injuries are carried to safety by coast guard personnel.
The wooden-hulled boat, which had bamboo outriggers, apparently developed engine trouble before an explosion and a fire engulfed the vessel, injuring crewmembers and forcing others to jump into the sea in panic. A passing tugboat helped put out the blaze and a coast guard search and rescue operation was launched, coast guard officials said.
Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of frequent storms, poorly maintained boats, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations.
In December 1987, an overcrowded ferry, the Dona Paz, sank after colliding with a fuel tanker, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s worst peacetime sea disaster regarded by some as Asia’s Titanic.
Philippine fishing boat explosion and fire kill 6 crewmembers while 6 others are rescued
Philippine fishing boat explosion and fire kill 6 crewmembers while 6 others are rescued
- At least six crewmembers of a fishing boat died while six others were rescued
- Sea accidents are common in the Philippines because of frequent storms
Gabon suspends access to social media as critics accuse its leader of crackdown on dissent
- “The High Authority for Communication has decided to immediately suspend social media throughout Gabon until further notice,” Mendome said
- Social media platforms were severely impacted on Wednesday
LIBREVILLE: Gabon has suspended access to social media and digital platforms throughout the central African nation until further notice, the authorities said as critics accuse the country’s leader of crackdown on dissent.
The communications agency said it had observed on social media and digital platforms what it described as inappropriate, defamatory, hateful and insulting content that undermines human dignity, the country’s institutions and national security.
The agency’s statement added that this constitutes offenses punishable under national and international laws, as well as under policies on moderation adopted by major digital platforms.
“The High Authority for Communication has decided to immediately suspend social media throughout Gabon until further notice,” Jean Claude Franck Mendome, the spokesperson for the agency, known as High Authority for Communication, said in a statement that was read out on national media on Tuesday evening.
Social media platforms — including Meta and TikTok — were severely impacted on Wednesday. The two, along with WhatsApp, the messaging service owned by Meta, are the most widely used by Gabonese citizens. WhatsApp calls were also experiencing significant disruptions on Wednesday.
The country’s leader, Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema had toppled President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who was accused of irresponsible governance.
Last year, Oligui Nguema won the presidential election, raising hopes for a return to constitutional democracy. However, critics say he has been increasingly clamping down on critical voices, targeting independent media and trade unionists. A journalist and two trade unionists were imprisoned last year.
