Typhoon Rai marooned ship catches fire in central Philippines
- Workers were cutting metal scraps from the MV Diamond Highway, which has been on the shorelines of Lapu-Lapu City since December 2021
- It was one of more than 100 vessels that sank or ran aground during the onslaught of Typhoon Rai in which more than 400 people were killed
Fire broke out on Friday in a ship that ran aground in the central Philippines at the height of a typhoon two years ago, the coastguard said.
The MV Diamond Highway has been marooned on the shorelines of Punta Engano village in Lapu-Lapu City, more than 570 kilometres south of Manila, since December 2021.
Workers were cutting metal scraps from the ship as part of salvage operations, when the fire started, the coastguard said.
“The fire started from the starboard bow while [workers were] cutting the vessel’s scrap metals,” the coastguard said, quoting the ship’s operations manager.
All personnel working on the scrap operations were safely evacuated from the Diamond Highway.
The coastguard said one of its tugboats has responded to the fire, which began around 2.20pm.