Ship sinks in northern Philippines; 16 rescued

MANILA: A cargo ship sank in rough seas in the northern Philippines and commercial vessels plucked 16 of 20 people from shark-infested waters, the coast guard said on Wednesday.

One body was seen floating but could not be immediately retrieved because of big waves and fears that rescuers might be attacked by sharks, said coast guard spokesman Lt Gary Dale Gimotea.

He said at least one survivor was bitten by a shark. The stricken vessel, Mark Jason, was on its way to Batanes island to deliver airport construction equipment when it sank late Tuesday after being battered by big waves, Gimotea said.

The 851-ton vessel left Manila on Nov 17 carrying 14 crewmen and six construction equipment operators. Gimotea said at least five vessels responded to a distress call and rescued 16 men. Three were still missing.

The captain of a nearby vessel reported to the coast guard that the crew was abandoning the ship. He tried to get closer but couldn't because of strong waves, coast guard Cmdr. Rudyard Somera said.

Gimotea said the waters in the Luzon Strait, about 330 miles (530 kilometers) north of Manila, are normally rough at this time of year.