SINGAPORE -- A Singapore anti-submarine ship collided with a
merchant vessel off Malaysia's southern coast near the disputed
Pedra Branca, late on Friday, injuring eight people. Four others --
all women -- were still trapped in the damaged area of the warship
on Saturday, the Singapore government said.
Efforts were still ongoing to free the four women, who were
sleeping in the back part of the ship at the time of the collision,
the Ministry of Defence said.
'They were in the sleeping quarters for female crew members at the
time of the collision. The sleeping quarters are located in the aft
of the ship where the most severe damage was sustained,' said
Ministry of Defence spokesman Valerie Yeo.
Eight people from the ship suffered minor injuries, and three of
them were taken to Changi General Hospital for observation, the
ministry said.
The accident between the RSS Courageous and the ANL Indonesia, a
container vessel headed for South Korea, occurred minutes before
midnight off Pedra Branca, an islet claimed by both Singapore and
Malaysia, the ministry added.
A source said that the RSS Courageous was hit on its side and that
one of the four trapped women was unconscious.
'Navy divers assisted by the police coast guard are out there
trying to free them. The right side of the ship is severely
damaged,' said the source, adding that the accident occurred about
1.8 km north of Pedra Branca.
The ministry did not say if the ship was in danger of sinking or
whether it was in Singapore territorial waters.
The 455-tonne RSS Courageous, commissioned in 1996, is one of six
sub hunters in the Republic of Singapore Navy fleet. -- AP
jia lat siah.....this is bad.....
