Manila: Philippine authorities say a cargo ship smashed into a small fishing boat in Manila Bay, causing the fishing boat to sink and leaving nine of its 21 crew members missing.
Coast guard spokesman Lt Cmdr Armand Balilo says the incident occurred late yesterday off Cavite province, south of Manila.
He said today that nine members of the fishing boat`s crew were still missing. The other 12 were rescued by another fishing vessel.
Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla told ANC Television that the wooden-hulled fishing boat sank immediately after being hit.
Balilo said the cargo ship was still unidentified, but that the coast guard would check harbor records to determine which ships were in the area. The cargo ship was carrying steel containers, according to rescued crew members from the fishing boat.
