TIM TIM eMagazine Vol Vol . 1 . 1 Issue 10 5
Suspected Piracy Attack Kills 8 Fishermen In Southern Philippines
A t least eight Filipino fishermen were killed after suspected pirates attacked their fishing boat in dangerous waters in the southern Philippines , coast guard officials said .
With 15 crew on board , the fishing boat was reportedly operating off Laud Siromon island when a group of five armed men on a speed boat fired at them .
Coast guard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said five of the crew members survived the attack by jumping overboard and swam to the island , Reuters said . However , according to Balilo , the remaining two who stayed on the boat were unharmed .
Meanwhile , Associated Press reported , citing Philippine Coast Guard head Commodore Joel Garcia , that seven crew members survived by jumping off the boat , when attackers boarded the fishing boat and tied up eight of other crewmen .
Two of the survivors reported the incident after reaching the land and the coast guard found other five survivors floating near Siromon Island , the report added .
Balilo told media that the Coast Guard consider the incident asa piracy attack , saying that the fishermen would have been taken captive if the attackers were Islamist militants . A military report said officials also looking into other motives including extortion or a conflict between fishing groups .
The latest incident comes as Philippine soldiers fighting to end Islamist militant threats , including the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf group , in the area after more than twenty sailors and tourists were taken captive by militants last year in the Celebes and Sulu seas .
Recently , Philippine Coast Guard rescued a cargo vessel from being hijacked off the waters of Zamboanga after a firefight between the maritime security personnel and the suspected pirates .
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