2 dead, 9 sailors missing in Occidental Mindoro

MANILA, Philippines — Nine crew members of MV Hong Hai 16 are still missing and a Filipino and Chinese sailor reportedly died after the ship capsized on Tuesday in Occidental Mindoro, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said yesterday.

Authorities have rescued 14 crew members of the vessel, comprised of six Filipinos and eight Chinese nationals.

Of the nine missing, six are Filipinos and three are Chinese.

“Per initial visual assessment, the vessel remains upright but partially submerged, with possible trapped personnel in the engine room,” the PCG said.

“Search and rescue operations are ongoing, including underwater assessments and preparation for diving operations and cutting work by the Coast Guard Special Operations Group Southern Tagalog,” it added.

Keen Peak Corp. reportedly operated the sand carrier vessel manned by 13 Filipinos and 12 Chinese.

Based on initial information, Hong Hai 16 traversed the waters of Barangay Malawaan in Rizal town when it capsized around 100 meters from the shoreline at 5:20 p.m. on April 15.

Bantay Dagat Rizal reported the incident to the Coast Guard sub-station in San Jose, which dispatched response teams.

The Coast Guard sub-station in Sablayan also provided augmentation teams for search and rescue operations.