INQUIRER FILE PHOTO: This is an aerial photo from a diplomatic source showing a boat operated by the Philippine Navy being shot with a powerful stream of water by a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel. On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, the CCG again fired a water cannon at a Philippine ship involved in a resupply mission in the West Philippine Sea, injuring at least four Navy crew.
MANILA, Philippines — At least four Philippine Navy personnel were injured in a China water cannon attack at a Philippine ship involved in a resupply mission in the West Philippine Sea on Tuesday.
The National Security Council (NSC) said the Navy members were aboard Unaizah Mae 4 (UM4), which was attacked by the water cannon.
“The use of water cannons by the CCG vessels shattered the windshield of UM4, causing minor injuries to at least four personnel on board,” the NSC said in a statement.
READ: West Philippine Sea: More PH boats harassed by Chinese vessels
The NSC said Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel from the BRP Sindangan treated the injured Navy personnel.
Earlier on Tuesday, Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, reported that PCG and CCG vessels collided in the West Philippine Sea, causing “minor structural damage” to the Philippines’ ship.
He also said that the incident happened during the “rotation and reprovisioning operation” (Rore) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) within the country’s waters.
“Throughout the operation, the PCG vessels faced dangerous maneuvers and blocking from Chinese Coast Guard vessels and Chinese Maritime Militia,” Tarriela said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“Their reckless and illegal actions led to a collision between MRRV-4407 and China Coast Guard 21555 that resulted in minor structural damage to the PCG vessel,” he added.
The BRP Sindangan and a sister ship had been deployed to support AFP’s Rore. The Philippine military’s Rore proceeded despite the incident.
The China water cannon attack was the second such incident since December when Chinese ships blasted water cannon at Philippine boats.
China has claimed it owns almost the entire South China Sea, brushing aside competing claims from a host of Southeast Asian nations and an international ruling that declared their case baseless.
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