Members of the Coast Guard retrieve one of the bodies of a dead crew member of the FBCA King Bryan, which caught fire off the sea of Naga City in southern Cebu on Wednesday night, June 5. | Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Six fishermen perished while five have been rescued after their fishing boat caught fire while sailing in the waters of Naga City, southern Cebu late Wednesday evening, June 5.
A fire broke out of the fishing banca (FBCA) named King Bryan at 8:25 p.m., the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Cebu said.
It took firefighters and PCG personnel an hour to extinguish the flames that had already claimed the lives of three crew members.
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In the subsequent search and rescue operations that lasted until 6 a.m. today, Thursday (June 6), Coast Guard officers found three more bodies, leading the toll to rise to 6.
They also rescued six other crew members, including its captain, and rushed them to a nearby hospital.
Captain Jerome Lozada of PCG-Cebu said search and rescue continue as they have yet to locate two more crew members of FBCA King Bryan.
Citing initial findings, Lozada said the boat came from Masbate City and that its crew members heard an explosion coming from the engine room, which they believed cause the fire.
Further investigations are underway to determine the real cause of the fire.