A VIETNAMESE sailor was killed while six others were believed to have been abducted after armed men attacked a Vietnamese-flagged cargo vessel off Tawi-Tawi on Sunday morning, an official said Monday.
Armed Forces spokesman Edgard Arevalo said 10 other Vietnamese sailors were rescued, adding they were still to determine exactly how many men were involved in the attack.
Initial reports said the victims were on board the MV Giang Hai 05 off Tawi-Tawi when the vessel was attacked around 8:25 a.m. on Sunday.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Fernando Balilo said the MV Giang Hai 05 was heading for Iloilo from Singapore.
He said responding marines along with police and Coast Guard personnel proceeded to the area and boarded the vessel, where they found 10 crewmen but were told that six other crew members were missing and presumably abducted.
They also recovered spent shells from Armalite rifles.
“We are still investigating the group who took the six crewmen and the exact number of attackers,” Arevalo said.
He said there were no clear indications yet if the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf was involved in the attack.
The Abu Sayyaf are still holding an undetermined number of Indonesian sailors that they abducted in separate incidents in Tawi-Tawi last year and they brought to Sulu or Basilan.