(CNN Philippines) — A Korean cargo ship was seajacked Thursday by armed men suspected to be Abu Sayyaf Group members off the waters of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, the Western Mindanao Command (WesMinCom) said.
WesMinCom said Park Chul Hong, captain of MV Dong Bang Giant, and crew member Glenn Alindajao from Cebu were abducted by 10 armed men suspected to be members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) under Jul Hassan. It said the perpetrators are alleged followers of Sulu-based Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Idang Susukan.
Cargo ship MV Dong Bang Giant, which came from Australia, was heading to South Korea when it was seajacked at 2:45 p.m. Thursday.
WesMinCom Spokesman Maj. Filemon Tan said in a statement the Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi has alerted all units and dispatched military assets for counteraction.
The military and local chief executives, with the intel help of locals, are also tracking down the perpetrators and moving to rescue the victims.
