Lite Ferry 16 catches fire in this photo taken past 1 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019, by Allan Barredo, who is on another passing ship. | Photo Courtesy of Allan Barredo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A ship from Cebu with about 137 passengers on board caught fire while sailing on it’s way to Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte.
The Lite Ferry 16, which departed from the port of Samboan town in southern Cebu at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, August 22, suddenly caught fire at around 1 a.m. of Wednesday while it was about 1.5 nautical miles away from Palauan Port in Dapitan City, according to Lieutenant Junior Grade Micahel John Encina, public information officer of thePhilippine Coast Guard in Central Visayas.
Lite Ferry 16 catches fire in this photo taken past 1 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019, by Allan Barredo, who is on another passing ship. | Photo Courtesy of Allan Barredo
Encina said the Dapitan Coast Guard, together with the other passing ships, were still completing the rescue operation as of 6 a.m.
Allan Barredo, a passenger of a passing ship that helped in the rescue operation, however, claimed that the rescue was completed at 6:30 a.m. without the presence of the Philippine Coast Guard./elB