Philippine soldier loses finger in clash with Chinese coast guard in South China Sea

Philippine media on June 18 quoted military sources confirming that a sailor of the country's navy was injured and lost a finger while many others suffered minor injuries during a supply mission for soldiers on a warship stranded in the Truong Sa archipelago.

Chinese coast guard vessels approach a Philippine buoy (back) in the South China Sea in this photo released by the Philippine Coast Guard on June 7.

The injuries occurred during a Chinese coast guard vessel's interception of Philippine vessels on a supply mission on June 17.

The Philippine military issued a statement confirming the incident but did not specify the injuries, only saying that one soldier was seriously injured after a Chinese Coast Guard vessel deliberately rammed into a supply ship at high speed, according to Rappler .

Wounded soldiers were evacuated and given timely medical treatment. Supply missions were interrupted.

The Chinese Coast Guard confirmed the clash and said it boarded a Philippine vessel for inspection. Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said on June 17 that the Chinese Coast Guard's actions put the lives of Philippine military personnel at risk and damaged the vessels.

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In recent times, the two countries have repeatedly accused each other of causing tensions in the East Sea surrounding the Chinese ships' attempts to prevent Philippine forces from resupplying their soldiers on a warship stranded in the Spratly Islands. For many years, the warship was intentionally stranded to serve as one of Manila's "outposts" in the East Sea.

On June 16, the Global Times reported that Beijing had dispatched a Type 075 amphibious assault ship to the Xu Bi Shoal in the Spratly Islands, which belongs to Vietnam but is being illegally occupied by China. Previously, China announced that a Type 071 amphibious assault ship had just conducted a landing exercise involving an air-cushioned landing craft at Xu Bi Shoal.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-nhan-philippines-mat-ngon-tay-trong-vu-dung-do-hai-canh-trung-quoc-tai-bien-dong-185240618200406083.htm