MV Ocean Papa salvage divers hurt in blast
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/21/2008 10:33 AM
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Two salvage divers were hurt after the engine room of MV Ocean Papa, which sank off Malalison Island in Culasi, Antique, exploded, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported Tuesday.
Lt. Junior Grade Rodolfo de la Peña, chief of PCG-Antique, named the injured divers as Primitivo Morales and Rodolfo Lazaro.
De la Peña said the engine room of the sunken cargo vessel exploded during the salvage operations. He said the salvage divers were carrying electrical equipment, which may have caused the blast.
The cargo vessel sank off Malalison Island at the height of Typhoon Frank last June 21. It was en route to Iloilo City from Manila when it sank due to strong winds and rough seas.
The cargo vessel's captain Carlo Kho and a crew m ember died in the tragedy. Two more crewmembers remain missing.
The vessel was carrying 80 sealed drums of 16-metric tons of toxic substance toluene di-isocyanate.
The sinking of the cargo vessel happened almost the same time the capsizing of the Sulpicio Lines' MV Princess of the Stars, which resulted in the death of over 800 people.
The cargo vessel owned by Oceanic Container Lines is being cut into several parts by salvage divers. The salvage operations started last August.
