Gas blast at Subic shipyard kills 2

An accidental explosion at a shipyard run by South Korea’s Hanjin Heavy Industries at the Subic Bay Freeport killed two workers and injured three others yesterday, police said.

Five men were working at an assembly workshop when an acetylene tank exploded, sparking a small fire that was later put out.

“We are still investigating what caused the explosion,” said Superintendent Cesar Jacob.

The fatalities were identified as Mario Lacsamana, 32, and Jeremiah Adamos, 30, and those injured as Gilbert Suba, 29, Jhonatan Martinez, and Donard Elijido, 28, who were rushed to the St. Jude Hospital in Subic, Zambales.

Hanjin declined to comment on the incident.

Armand Arreza, administrator and chief executive officer of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, said they would also investigate the incident to determine if Hanjin or its subcontractors had been remiss in putting safety measures in place.

The South Korean group has a $1.68-billion shipyard project in Subic Bay and was planning to build a second shipyard costing $2 billion in Mindanao. – Ric Sapnu, Bebot Sison Jr. and Marvin Sy