NAGA CITY, CEBU – At least six people were reported dead after a fishing motorboat caught fire in the vicinity waters of Naga City, Cebu, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
According to the PCG report, the incident reached them this Wednesday around eight o’clock in the evening, when one of the crew members on the fishing boat was in critical condition after suffering third-degree burns.
PCG says there were 12 people on board the boat, and six of them have been rescued.
The Coast Guard Sub-Station Naga reported it as of 6 a.m. Today, two bodies were found under the debris of the fishing boat.
It took BFP and PCG personnel an hour to put out the fire that claimed the lives of three crew members.
In subsequent search and rescue operations that lasted until 6 a.m. Today, Thursday (June 6), Coast Guard officials found three more bodies, bringing the number to 6.
Based on the PCG’s initial investigation, the fishing boat came from Masbate City, and suddenly its passengers heard an explosion from the engine of the boat, which is believed to be the cause of the fire.