Three persons were killed while 12 others were wounded in an explosion inside an inter-island vessel shortly after it sailed from Pier 7 in Mandaue City about 7:30 last night.

The MV Butuan Bay, owned by Carlos A. Gothong Lines Inc., was about 100 meters from left Pier 7 when an explosion occurred inside the engine room. The vessel was bound for Ozamiz City with 513 passengers and 21 crew members on board.

Three unidentified fatalities were found inside the engine room, said Nagiel Baņacia, Cebu City information officer who joined a team from Cebu City that was helping in the rescue operation.

Six of the passengers were wounded. Five were brought to the Cebu City Medical Center while another was brought to a private hospital.

Those brought to the CCMC were identified as Wenzell Claro, 21 of Pagadian City; Queenie Bacondador, 21 of Tubod in Lanao del Norte; Joelito Malinao, 20, of Cebu City; Aiza Defamente, 17 from Lanao del Norte; Marichell Caballero, 19, of Capatoga, Lanao del Norte.

Perelyn Rodil, nurse-on-duty at the CCMC emergency room, said the five suffered minor burns in the hands and upper part of their bodies.

The sixth, a male passenger, could not be immediately identified, as he was the last one brought down from the vessel. He was given primary treatment at the pier by the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (Eruf) before he was taken to a hospital.

Dr. Kenneth Chan of the Eruf said the unidentified passenger suffered second degree-burns in about 90 percent of his body.

Commodore Alejandro Flora, coast guard Central Eastern Visayas commander, said six crew members were also hurt but he did not know which hospital they were brought in.

He said the explosion was not caused by a bomb. He talked to Ben Gothong, one of the owners of the shipping company, who informed him that it was the ship's engine that exploded.

Police Officer 2 Virgilio Torreon of the coast guard said the engine was inspected before it left Pier 7 about 7:10 p.m. Some 20 minutes later, the explosion happened between Pier 4 and Pier 5.

A marine inquiry would be conducted to determine what caused the explosion, he added.

A passenger told radio station dyAB that he was looking out into the fading lights of Cebu City when he heard a loud explosion at the right side of the rear end of the ship.

Passenger Boy Surigao said he saw several cots close to where he was standing got carried upward by the explosion before the whole ship was plunged into darkness and passengers went into panic.

Surigao, who was slightly injured along with his wife Nimfa, said rescuers on board a tugboat came several minutes later. The Surigao couple was given first aid treatment at the port area here but not hospitalized.

He said he and his wife were transferred to the tugboat along with other injured passengers.

Two tugboats from Gothong Shipping Line towed the vessel back to the Pier 7 where four ambulances and one fire truck were waiting.

But it took more than an hour before the remaining passengers were to able to disembark, as the gang plank could not be lowered because there was no electricity in the vessel.

The gang plank had to be lowered manually.