A huge oil tanker carrying 1,400,000 litres of fuel has capsized with reports of oil spilling into the ocean.
Coast guard rescuers are continuing to search for a missing crew member in Bataan province off the coast of the Philippines.
Sixteen of the 17 crew members of MT Terra Nova have been rescued, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said, after the ship capsized off the coastal town of Limay. A search is underway for the missing sailor.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista told a situation briefing: "There is already oil spill. Right now, we cannot dispatch our resources because of strong winds and high waves" adding the ship was carrying 1,494 metric tonnes of industrial fuel.
A handout photo released by the Philippine Coast Guard shows the tip of MT Terra Nova protruding in Manila Bay, Philippines
Philippine Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERS
Based on accounts of the rescued crew, Balilo said they encountered rough seas before the ship capsized. Philippine coast guard spokesperson Armando Balilo told a separate briefing a 97-metre coast guard vessel had been deployed to search for the missing crew and combat the oil spill.
Smaller vessels are waiting for the weather to clear before they could sail. An aerial survey by the coast guard showed an oil slick spreading roughly two nautical miles and being driven by strong waves.
Balilo told a press conference: "We are racing against time. We will do our best to contain the fuel."
He added the waters where the ship sank is close to Manila and there is "big danger" the spill could reach the capital.
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Members of the crew after being rescued from the oil tanker
Reuters
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had ordered the environment ministry to assess the damage and the country's environment ministry said its chief was on her way to Limay town.
LSEG's Eikon data shows Terra Nova has a deadweight tonnage of 1,415 tonnes and was headed to the central province of Iloilo.
An investigation is underway if the sinking is related to Typhoon Gaemi, which earlier this week flooded swathes of the capital Manila and surrounding towns.
At least 14 people have died from the typhoon and monsoon rains, according to government data, and officials said the toll could go up.
A girl walks past the debris and mud following the floods brought by Typhoon Gaemi, in Marikina City
Reuters
In the riverside city of Marikina, emergency workers waded through waist-deep waters and used rubber dinghies to rescue residents from their inundated homes.
Some people sheltered in churches among the statues of Catholic saints.
Evacuee Ladylyn Bernas said: "The flood reached the second floor of our house, all our things are ruined, everything got wet, nothing was saved."
