Breaking
Sea marauders kill 8 fishing boat crewmen off Zamboanga City
ZAMBOANGA CITY—Government security forces have dispatched a team of operatives to track down the sea marauders responsible in the killing of eight fishing boat crew off this city.
Reports received by the Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) showed the incident took place around 8 p.m. Monday in the vicinity of Siromon Island, Barangay Dita, 42 kilometers east of this city.
Siromon forms part of the 11-island group located east of this city. The police said the names of the fatalities were not immediately known except that they are crewmen of F/B NR home-based in Barangay Sangali, some 25 kilometers east of here.
The police said the fishing boat manned by 15 crewmen was on the way home to Sangali coming from Sibuktuk Island when five gunmen aboard on two motorboats locally known as “jungkung” accosted them.
The gunmen divested the fishing boat crewmen of cash and valuables, including mobile phones, and opened fire killing instantaneously eight of the 15 crew.
The police said the seven other crewmen survived as they managed to jump overboard and swim to safety.
Personnel from ZCPO’s Police Station 2 are on the way to Siromon Island to fetch the survivors.