Blast kills one on boxship off Talisay City, Philippines

One person was killed in an explosion and a subsequent fire on a containership in the waters off Cebu province, Philippines, on Sunday, April 17.

The incident on the locally-registered vessel General Romulo occurred while it was at anchor off Talisay City in Cebu.

The Philippine Coast Guard deployed a patrol boat with firefighting and search and rescue (SAR) teams to render assistance. Some civilian tugs also sailed to the area to support firefighting efforts.

Nineteen crewmembers have been safely rescued. However, coast guard officials said one crewmember perished in the explosion.

According to the coast guard, attempts to recover the body of the deceased individual have been repeatedly hampered by the blaze, which was still raging as of the late afternoon (local time) of Sunday.

An initial investigation revealed that an onboard pipe was the origin of the blast.