Corpse of Belgian seaman found in Manila Bay

MANILA—The body of a Belgian seaman who drowned after falling overboard his ship on Monday night has been found in the Manila Bay. The corpse has been taken to a funeral parlor.

A preliminary probe into the accident revealed that the seaman, Floris JK Heeren, and two of his co-workers were cleaning the lower deck of the MV Sebastian de Elcano from Luxembourg, when they fell off the ship and were pulled by the ship’s vacuum. The vessel was docked about a mile away from Manila Bay’s breakwater.

Two of the men managed to swim to safety, but Heeren perished in the water due to drowning. His corpse remained uncoated until last night.

Police investigators are checking to rule out foul play, and are closely coordinating with the Philippine Coast Guard the Philippine Ports Authority, and the Belgian Embassy in Manila.