11 Dead in Tanker Fire in Manila Bay
The death toll from the fire aboard a chemical tanker in Manila Bay rose to 11 on Saturday, when the coast guard pulled nine bodies from the sea, a coast guard spokesman said.
The Panamanian-registered King Family caught fire Thursday while stevedores and crewmen discharged its highly flammable cargo into two barges alongside. Most of the workers jumped overboard to escape the inferno.
Navy investigators said they believe that the fire was caused by a lighted cigarette that ignited fumes given off by the cargo of methyl methacrylate monomer.
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