Search and rescue (SAR) personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard and various partner agencies have recovered the remains of one of ten Filipino and Chinese crewmembers who went missing after a sand carrier capsized off the Philippines' Occidental Mindoro province earlier this week.
The body of the deceased victim, identified as a Filipino national, was located by coast guard divers on the bridge of the capsized Hong Hai 16 at around 14:30 local time on Wednesday, April 16.
The dredger overturned off Occidental Mindoro's Rizal municipality on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 15. The first deceased victim to be recovered was a Chinese national.
Coast guard environmental protection personnel have also observed a light oil sheen near the overturned vessel, prompting the deployment of spill containment boom segments with a total length of 250 metres.
Fourteen of the sand carrier's crew have been safely rescued while nine others remain unaccounted for, the coast guard confirmed.
Initial reports stated that the capsizing occurred in moderate sea conditions.
The coast guard has since deployed the 44-metre multi-role response vessel BRP Malabrigo to assist in the continuing SAR and pollution monitoring effort off Rizal.