March 30 (EUROPA PRESS) –
At least twelve people, including three children, have died this Wednesday night off the coast of the Philippine island of Basilan after the boat they were traveling on caught fire.
Search and rescue services have rescued 57 passengers, while 14 have been taken to hospitals, ABS-CBN reported.
The Philippine authorities have reported that the boat was carrying around 200 passengers, and that the cause of the fire is unknown at the moment.
The country’s Coast Guard, for its part, has indicated that it “will immediately check for signs of an oil spill,” while adding that it “will continue to carry out search and recovery operations for the missing persons.”
