At least six Filipino crew members were killed in an explosion and fire on a fishing boat off a central Philippine province, coast guard officials said on June 6. They said six others were rescued.

“The surviving crew members of the F/B King Bryan, including its captain, are still being treated in a hospital or are so shocked that they are unable to tell investigators what caused the explosion and fire on the ship about 8 km (5 miles) off Naga City in Cebu province on June 5,” coast guard officials said.

“One of the injured crew members is in critical condition at a hospital in Cebu,” the coast guard said.

Video and photos released by the coast guard showed flames and smoke billowing from the fishing boat while rescue teams probed the waters in the dark. The burned crew members were taken to safety by coast guard personnel.

The wooden-hulled boat, which had bamboo outriggers, suffered engine failure before it exploded and the ship caught fire, injuring crew members and forcing others to jump into the sea in panic. “A passing tugboat helped extinguish the fire and the coast guard began search and rescue operations,” coast guard officials said.

Maritime accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago due to frequent storms, poor maintenance of boats, overcrowding and poor adherence to safety regulations.

In December 1987, an overcrowded ferry, the Doña Paz, sank after colliding with a fuel tanker, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster and considered by some as Asia’s Titanic.