CRUCIAL EVIDENCE IN SUPERFERRY 14 TRAGEDY IN DANGER = OF BEING LOST

From: Subject: CRUCIAL EVIDENCE IN SUPERFERRY 14 TRAGEDY IN DANGER OF BEING LOST Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2004 21:14:05 +0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/hl/hl100150.htm X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1409 CRUCIAL EVIDENCE IN SUPERFERRY 14 TRAGEDY IN DANGER = OF BEING LOST

CRUCIAL EVIDENCE IN SUPERFERRY 14 = TRAGEDY IN=20 DANGER OF BEING LOST

MANILA, March 29, 2004 = (STAR)=20 The real cause of the fire that gutted the SuperFerry 14 last = Feb. 27=20 and killed some 96 passengers and crew may never be known as the = physical=20 evidence has either been contaminated or washed away by the sea.

Highly reliable sources at the Philippine Coast Guard said crucial = evidence=20 could be lost if retrieval operations are delayed for two more months. = "The=20 speed by which we would retrieve these physical evidence all depends = on the=20 speed of the salvage operations," sources said.

"We are not losing hope. Although some of our experts said that the = evidence are now contaminated, there are still some experts saying = that we=20 could still get more evidence.

"If a final report is made now, the report could be questioned as=20 investigators have not checked the remaining one-third (of the ship)," = one of=20 the Coast Guard sources said.

Sources said the terrorism angle was debunked because several = passengers=20 where the supposed explosion took place had survived.

"Logic will tell us that if there was an explosion, all those = around the=20 immediate radius of the blast will be killed, but that is not the = case," a=20 source said.

Experts ruled as "unreliable" the testimonies of the ship captain = and a=20 crewman that smoke in the fire smelled of gun powder because they made = the=20 claim after several minutes, sources added.

Investigators would have to wait two more months before any of the=20 important evidence are inspected as it would take that long to bring = the ship=20 upright.

The 10,000-ton SuperFerry 14 is lying on its side in the shallow = waters off=20 Mariveles, Bataan, and one third of the ship remains flooded.

Salvage operators reportedly asked for two months to cut an = opening, bring=20 in a crane, remove all cargo, weld shut the openings, and pull the = ship to=20 deeper waters. The salvage operation is being undertaken by a private = firm=20 hired by the ship=92s owners, WG&A.

The 10-man Special Board of Marine Inquiry is set to submit today = an=20 initial report to Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro = Mendoza=20 on the results of interviews with different witnesses.

However, the report does not explain which came first: the fire or = the=20 explosion. =97 Jose Aravilla

Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi =

PHILIPPINE=20 HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE