WORLD> Asia-Pacific
19 Filipinos, Koreans rescued from troubled ship
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-07 13:39

MANILA, Philippines: Coast guard men rescued 15 Filipinos and 4 South Koreans who abandoned a Panamanian-registered cargo ship that lost power Monday in rough waters in the central Philippines, officials said.

The M/V Hera, which was en route to China from Papua New Guinea with a cargo of logs, encountered engine trouble then lost power off Eastern Samar province early Monday. All its crewmembers managed to escape in a life boat, which was later spotted by coast guard rescuers, coast guard chief Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said.

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It was not immediately clear if the 4,189-ton Hera sank after stalling at sea. A coast guard helicopter has been deployed to check its condition, Tamayo told The Associated Press.

A Hong Kong maritime accident monitoring center asked the local coast guard to start a search and rescue after receiving a distress call from the Hera, Tamayo said.

The accident followed the sinking on Sunday of an inter-island ferry, which carried 968 passengers and crewmen, in the southern Philippines. At least nine passengers drowned, 957 survived and two remained missing in Sunday's sinking of Superferry 9, the coast guard said.

"It's a must that all ships should have well-maintained engines at all times," Tamayo said, adding seafarers should be doubly vigilant in the current stormy season "when our seas turn treacherous."

In another accident, a ferry carrying 28 people sank off Maluso township on southern Basilan island Friday after it developed engine trouble and was battered by strong waves, the coast guard said.

Coastal villagers and fishermen rescued all the 28 on board the M/B Minham, which left nearby Jolo island allegedly without any coast guard clearance, the coast guard said, adding that an investigation was under way.

Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago due to tropical storms, badly maintained boats and weak enforcement of safety regulations.

Last year, a ferry overturned after sailing toward a powerful typhoon in the central Philippines, killing more than 800 people on board.

In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the Philippines, killing more than 4,341 people in the world's worst peacetime maritime disaster.