Two killed in vessel collision off Batangas, Philippines

Two people were killed while two others suffered injuries following a vessel collision incident off Batangas province in the Philippines on Wednesday, January 31.

The Philippine Coast Guard said the fast ferry Ocean Jet 6 was sailing from Batangas Port to Calapan City in nearby Oriental Mindoro province when it collided with the smaller water taxi Hop & Go 1 at around 12:30 local time on Wednesday.

The water taxi was approaching Batangas after having earlier departed Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro.

The captain and one other crewmember on Hop & Go 1 were killed. Two of the boat’s passengers, both identified as Chinese nationals, sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The water taxi’s two other crewmembers and three other passengers were unharmed.

The survivors and the deceased victims have since been brought ashore by coast guard personnel and local paramedics who deployed to the area in response to the collision.

No injuries have meanwhile been reported among the 105 passengers and 19 crewmembers on the fast ferry.

The water taxi was transporting one Swedish and four Chinese tourists at the time of the incident, which is already being investigated by the coast guard.