Fishermen find ‘rocket’ debris

Fishermen have found a metal debris believed to be part of a Chinese rocket off Occidental Mindoro and turned it over to the Philippine Coast Guard, the PCG said Wednesday.

In a report, the PCG said Roderick Fabie, a resident of Barangay Poblacion, Calintaan of the said province, reported that a group of local fishermen found and pulled the metallic debris towards the seashore at around 11 a.m. on Sunday.

Coast Guard and police officers later confirmed the debris which was white-painted, curve-shaped and more or less six meters long, the PCG said.

Meanwhile, the Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has confirmed that some debris were also discovered in the waters off Barangay Cheey in Busuanga, Palawan on Monday.

"Western Command confirms that we have received information about debris found in the waters of Busuanga. Said debris did not cause any casualty and does not pose any danger. At present, appropriate inter-agency action is ongoing to ensure its proper disposition," WesCom spokesperson Major Cherry Tindog said in a Viber message.

The debris, believed to be from the Chinese rocket Long March 5B, were discovered by the indigenous people's representative Raniel Montilla on the shores of Colocotoc Island.

The Philippine Space Agency previously warned about falling debris in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc and Busuanga town when a rocket took off from Hainan Island's Wenchang space launch site on 31 October.