Newspaper The Philippine Star has reported that two Filipino sailors are confirmed dead while four others have gone missing after a cargo vessel capsized and sank near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Friday, January 23.
The Singapore-registered bulk carrier Devon Bay was crewed by 21 Filipino nationals and was carrying a cargo of iron ore to Yangjiang in China when she capsized and sank on Friday morning (local time).
The Philippine and China Coast Guards then launched separate rescue operations in response to the incident. According to the Chinese Embassy in Manila, the China Coast Guard vessels were the first to arrive on-scene, and their crews were able to pull 15 survivors out of the water.
One of the survivors suffered critical injuries as a result of the incident and was given emergency medical treatment.
The night before the incident, Devon Bay's crew had sent out a distress call informing the Philippine Coast Guard that the ship had developed a 25-degree list while she was approximately 141 nautical miles off the coast of Pangasinan province north of Manila.
Scarborough Shoal, which lies approximately 55 nautical miles southeast of where ship capsized, is a disputed atoll claimed by the Philippines, China, and Taiwan.
