Six people were injured and two others were reported missing, when an explosion caused a fire on a cargo vessel docked in port in the Manila. The cause of the explosion was not yet known, the coastguard stated.
The ship MV Titan 8 was refueling at the Delpan Pier in Manila City when the explosion occurred, resulting in the fire.
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While some of the crew jumped overboard in the wake of the explosion, four of the ship’s crew – and two others from a ship docked nearby – were injured, the officials said, adding that the search was continuing for the two missing crew members of the affected vessel.
The coastguard dispatched rescue divers into the search while also deploying booms to control any oil spill from the vessel.
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Meanwhile, the Bureau of Fire Protection said that the blaze – resulting from the explosion – had spread to a nearby slum area and totally engulfed 40 shanty houses, while hundreds of residents there were evacuated by firefighters who put out the fire. (AW)
