Three people are dead after a Philippine fishing boat was rammed by an unidentified commercial vessel in waters off a disputed South China Sea shoal, the nation’s coast guard said.
Eleven crew members survived the incident, which took place early Monday 85 nautical miles northwest of Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine Coast Guard said in a statement Wednesday, citing details from a survivor. In a separate post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the coast guard said a foreign vessel was involved in the incident.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a post on his X account that an investigation by the Philippines’ coast guard is underway on what he described was a “collision.” Those responsible will be held accountable, and the victims’ families will be assisted, he added.
“Let us refrain from engaging in speculation in the meantime,” Marcos said.
The shoal is at the center of recent tensions between the Philippines and China, with Manila saying last week that it took out a barrier in the area installed by China. Beijing has, however, said it removed the structure by itself, as it maintained sovereignty in the area.
Read More: China Is Testing How Hard It Can Push in the South China Sea Before Someone Pushes Back
—With assistance from Cliff Venzon and Ditas Lopez.
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