Pinoy missing in tanker explosion off Portugal

A Filipino crew member remains missing after an explosion occurred in a tanker in the seas off Portugal on Wednesday. According to Turkey-based maritime web site Seanews, an explosion occurred in the bow of the Harbour Crystal, which was adrift 13 miles southwest of Cape Espichel. The fire caused by the explosion was extinguished in the early afternoon, the report said. The story said the ship had a 18-person crew on board, including a Filipino crew member whom the article said was still missing. It noted that Portugal's Center for Maritime Search and Rescue in Lisbon (MRCC Lisbon) was alerted about the matter. The cause of the explosion was still unknown, Seanews noted, though it also said the ship carried "8,000 tons of naphtha, a petroleum derivative." GMA News Online is trying to get further information from the Department of Foreign Affairs on the matter. - Gian C. Geronimo, VVP, GMA News