The Philippine Coast Guard said the missing 14 crew of a fishing boat which capsized after colliding with a Hong Kong registered vessel off the waters of Occidental Mindoro are possibly trapped inside their ship.

"PCG is looking into the angle that the missing fishermen were trapped under the capsized fishing vessel," said Commodore Armando Balilo, PCG spokesman, in a radio interview on Thursday.

Balilo said the depth of waters where the vessel capsized is approximately 2,000 meters, which posed problems for divers.

"The technical divers may only reach 100 meters depth," he said.

Balilo said the PCG personnel onboard BRP Boracay, BRP Malapascua, and MCS 3009, a vessel of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) have been conducting search and rescue operation since Sunday.

"The PCG and PCGA (Philippine Coast Guard Auxillary) are now reaching out to the families of the missing fishermen to provide necessary assistance," he added.

Robina Asido/DMS