The Philippine Coast Guard reported this Wednesday that Three fishermen have died after being hit by a foreign boat near the Lower Masinloc sandbar, which is located in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
The incident took place this Monday around 4:20 a.m. (local time) when the fishing boat was hit while it was tied to a device for collecting fish. The boat was submerged, causing the death of the three crew members, including the captain. The survivors, a total of eleven members, used several lifeboats to leave the area and evacuate the deceased to the town of Infanta, in the province of Pangasinan, where they arrived on Tuesday around 10:00 a.m., according to a statement from the Guard. Coastal.
Philippine President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. has expressed his “deep sadness” over the incident and has assured that the Government will provide assistance to the victims and families. “The incident still is under investigation to determine the details and circumstances that surrounded the collision between the fishing boat and an as yet unidentified commercial vessel,” he explained in statements reported by the newspaper ‘The Philippine Star’.
The Bajo de Masinloc, located 240 kilometers west of the Philippine island of Luzon, has long been a fishing ground used by generations of Filipino fishermen. However, China deploys ships in the area to carry out patrol work. At the end of September, Philippine authorities asked local fishermen to continue carrying out their activities on said sandbar, despite the presence of Chinese vessels in the vicinity, showing their intention to increase the deployment of patrols to guarantee their protection.
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For its part, the Chinese Government urged to “avoid provocations” in the vicinity and once again claimed its sovereignty over the sandbar after the Philippine Coast Guard removed a floating barrier installed by the Chinese coast guard.
Beijing continues to claim its sovereignty over much of the South China Sea despite the fact that in 2016 the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines and rejected the claims of China on the waters of the area. In addition, the court determined that Beijing behaved “illegally” and that it lacks “historical rights” to which it can claim its sovereignty, a position that has been harshly rejected by the authorities of the Asian country.