Two crewmen of a Liberian-flagged ship died and one was injured in what has been reported as a stabbing incident on board the ship, the Associated Press informed.
Philippine authorities boarded the vessel identified as MV Qing May after it sent out a call for medical assistance early Sunday morning for its injured crewmember. The ship was given permission to dock temporarily at Zamboanga Port.
As informed, the injured sailor was taken to a local hospital, while the bodies of the remaining two crew members of Chinese nationality were kept on board.
They were named as engineer Xie Lhichao, 28, and Zhang Weenjo, 35, the chief cook, CNN informed.
Authorities said they were having difficulty obtaining information on what happened as none of the crew members speak English.
Investigation is underway into the cause of the incident, however; initial findings show that there was an indication that the ship came under a pirate or insurgent attack while traveling through Southeast Asia, the AP said. According to CNN, the crew members were having an argument when the incident turned into a bloody melee.
The ship was carrying a cargo of iron ore from Australia to China and had 25 crew members on board when the incident occurred.
The ship will be cleared to resume its trip to China once the inspection closes.
World Maritime News Staff; Image: Philippine Coast Guard