Four crew members were dead, other nine went missing as a cargo ship ran aground off the southern Philippines, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Wednesday.
The crew of LCT Cebu Great Ocean abandoned the vessel, that was carrying nickel ore and 2,000 litres of diesel, before it ran aground in Surigao del Norte province on Monday, according to the coast guard.
Gelly Rosales, a coast guard official, revealed that the bodies of the four members were found after being washed onto the shore.
Rosales said the cargo vessel was trying to avoid rough seas off another province when its anchor reportedly broke causing it to drift until it ran aground.
Furthermore, the weather had been rough in the area due to Typhoon Surigae, which brought winds that reached 195 km (121.17 miles) per hour, with its effects felt in many parts of the eastern Philippines.
On their part, disaster officials reported on Wednesday that three people had died and 10 were injured and one missing, in communities hit by strong winds, while tens of thousands remained in evacuation centers.
Notably, the Philippines witnesses around 20 tropical storms annually.
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