Boat fire in the Philippines.
Boat fire in the Philippines.
The news of a major accident is coming from the Philippines. A boat carrying some 250 passengers and crew caught fire on Wednesday between the islands of the southern Philippines. According to media reports, 31 people have died in the accident and 7 people are still missing.
Relief and rescue work going on
After the news of this fire incident came to the fore, the team of Coast Guard forces reached near the burnt boat, where they tried to extinguish it by spraying water on that burnt boat. Along with this, some employees there are continuously trying to get the passengers out of the deep water. Rescue workers, including the Philippines Coast Guard and fishermen, rescued 195 passengers and 35 crew members. Basilan Governor Jim Suliman said a preliminary search on the boat found 18 bodies. Later, the death toll in this accident has increased. However, efforts are still on to search and rescue at least seven missing passengers.
23 passengers injured in this accident
Officials present there after the fire incident said that at least 23 passengers were injured and have been brought to hospitals for treatment. Along with this, it was further told that some people were sleeping when the fire broke out, as soon as there was commotion due to the fire, people woke up. After this, some people jumped into the water from the ship itself. However, what caused this fire, the exact reason for this has not been ascertained yet.
Such maritime accidents have occurred in the Philippines archipelago before. Sometimes the reason for these incidents is a storm in the sea, and sometimes such accidents happen due to the lack of proper maintenance of the boats.
