Saturday, September 5, 2009
Ship tilts off Zamboanga; rescue launched for 959 passengers
2 hurt as ship with 959 passengers tilts off Zamboanga
Two people were reported hurt as a “SuperFerry 9" vessel bound for Iloilo from General Santos City listed off Zamboanga Peninsula before dawn Sunday.Coast Guard and Navy ships rushed to the scene early Sunday to rescue some 959 passengers from the tilting ship.“Mga 150 passengers na ang rescued ng MV Ocean Integrity, may dalawang reported injured (A nearby ship, MV Ocean Integrity, rescued 150 passengers, but two were reported injured)," Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said in an interview on dzBB radio, citing initial reports reaching his office.But he said no details were immediately available on the two injured passengers.Tamayo said the SuperFerry was located off Siocon in Zamboanga Peninsula. He said initial reports showed the ship had problems when its generator set went “on and off."He said the Coast Guard already called for assistance from the Philippine Navy, Philippine National Police, and local government units in the Zamboanga Peninsula area.Tamayo said that as of 7:30 a.m., the Navy’s boats 116 and 117 have reached the area.Even former Rep. Romeo Jalosjos has sent fishing boats to help in the search-and-rescue operations, he said.Radio dzBB’s Lito Laparan reported the SuperFerry 9, which had 847 passengers and 112 crew, had listed more than 50 degrees as of 6:30 a.m. Sunday.
2 dead, 2 hurt as Superferry with 959 lists off Zambo
Two people were confirmed dead as a “SuperFerry 9" vessel bound for Iloilo province listed off Zamboanga Peninsula before dawn Sunday.Coast Guard spokesman Cmdr. Armand Balilo cited sketchy reports reaching him that the two fatalities, who he said likely drowned, were not immediately identified.“Isang bata at isang matanda (The fatalities are a child and an elderly person)," he said in an interview on dzBB radio, but did not name them. He said the two were among those brought to the passenger ship “Ocean Integrity."Earlier, Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said at least two people were reported as injured.Coast Guard and Navy ships rushed to the Zamboanga Peninsula early Sunday to rescue some 959 passengers from the listing “SuperFerry 9" vessel.At least 155 people from the SuperFerry 9 had been rescued as of 8 a.m., radio reports said.“Mga 150 passengers na ang rescued ng MV Ocean Integrity, may dalawang reported injured (A nearby ship, MV Ocean Integrity, rescued 150 passengers, but two were reported injured)," Tamayo told dzBB radio, citing initial reports reaching him. But he said no details were immediately available on the two injured.Tamayo said the SuperFerry was located off Siocon in Zamboanga Peninsula. He said initial reports showed the ship had problems when its generator set went “on and off."He said the Coast Guard already called for assistance from the Philippine Navy, Philippine National Police, and local government units in the Zamboanga Peninsula area.
4 dead, 84 others missing as SuperFerry sinks off Zambo
Four passengers were killed and two others were injured when a passenger ship sank Sunday morning in Siocon Bay near the Zamboanga Peninsula, an official of the Philippine Navy reported.In an interview on dzBB, Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo confirmed that four people have been reported dead after "SuperFerry 9" finally sank after tilting for several hours in Siocon Bay.Arevalo said that three of the fatalities were reported to have been taken aboard by a passing vessel, MV Myriad, while one was recovered by a Navy rescue boat. According to Arevalo, SuperFerry 9, owned by the Aboitiz Transport System (ATS), sank completely at 8:30 a.m. According to Philippine Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, however, only three have been reported killed in the accident.As of 11:55 a.m. Tamayo said 880 people have been rescued and/or recovered, while 84 are still unaccounted for. The ship carried 964 people, including 117 crew, he said.Initial investigation showed that the ship left General Santos City at 8:45 a.m. Saturday and was heading for Iloilo when it started to started tilting to one side at 2 a.m. Citing initial reports, Tamayo said that SuperFerry 9 had problems when its generator "went on and off." Authorities said they would investigate the cause of the sinking as soon as search and rescue operations are over.ATS updateAccording to an ATS update at 1 p.m. rescue operations are ongoing and three of the ship's passengers have been reported dead. The company said a total of 870 passengers and crew were on board SuperFerry 9, contradicting an earlier report from the Coast Guard.It said the Philippine Air Force has deployed two PAF helicopters and 1 OV-10 plane to assist in the search. The Philippine Army and the US AIR force assistance group based in Zamboanga have also deployed helicopters to join the search for missing passengers and crew. All rescued passengers and crew will be brought to Zamboanga port. Assistance including medical treatment, hotel accommodation and transport shall be provided for the passengers and crew, the company said. SuperFerry 1 is estimated to arrive in Zamboanga tonight to transfer passengers to Iloilo and Manila.
Bang out of order : A Filipina attacked by an Iraqi Lady in UAE
A shopper was punched, slapped and spat at for accidentally running over the hem of a woman’s abaya with a pushchair in a Dubai supermarket.
The victim, who asked to be known by her surname Davis, was shopping in Emirates Co-op store in Al Garhoud when the double-buggy she was pushing caught the edge of another customer’s clothing and banged into her leg.
The 32-year-old apologised immediately but was slammed against the shelves, punched and scratched by the woman who “went crazy”.
Davis, pictured, who was left with cuts and bruises after the assault, told 7DAYS: “I was coming past her and the pushchair went onto her abaya.
“She said I hit her leg and she started shouting bad words at me and calling me the Arabic word for dog - I know that word.”
The attacker, who is believed to be an Iraqi woman in her mid-30s, screamed and shouted at Davis before grabbing her by her wrist, tearing at her hair and throwing her against the shelves.
She repeatedly hit her while shocked staff and customers looked on. As a final insult, she then spat twice in Davis’s face as she was pulled away by the supermarket’s security guard who called the police.
A police medical report lists Davis’ injuries as scratches to her ear and neck, bruising to her upper arm, swelling to her face and a laceration on her little toe.
“When she called me a dog, I did tell her to shut up and walked away,” Davis said.
“But she followed me and grabbed my arm. She was hitting me and shouting. At the end, they pulled her off me but she slapped me again and spat in my face. I was very upset.”
Davis, a Filipina, works for an Arab-American family and was in the store with her employer’s two toddlers at the time of the assault. The employer, who asked not to be named, rushed straight to the supermarket.
She told “I just cannot believe the behaviour of this woman. When I arrived, she was just calmly queuing at the checkout like nothing had happened. We are going to press charges. You cannot treat people like this.”
Dubai Police confirmed officers were called to the incident and are investigating the attack.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Fake cops on trial for robbing Pinoys in UAE
Two of three men posing as policemen were brought to trial in the United Arab Emirates for robbing a group of Filipinos in an apartment, a UAE-based news site reported.A report on Khaleej Times (www.khaleejtimes.com) described the suspects as Syrian and Jordanian, adding one of them remains at large. It did not name the suspects, however.“The Syrian and the Jordanian suspects are believed to have used knives to intimidate the plaintiffs and force them to give up their belongings," the report said.It said the men entered an apartment of Filipinos at night and stole cash and valuables after posing as Criminal Investigation Division (CID) officers.The report said the men took items including mobile phones, sunglasses, cash money, laptops, ATMs, health cards, labor cards and other belongings.