PCG to check Tubbataha for damages

The Philippine Coast Guard is sending a team to the Tubbataha reef to check for damages after a United States Navy minesweeper ran aground the atoll coral reef Thursday morning.

PCG Spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo said  a team of divers will be sent to Tubbataha to check the coral reefs after the incident.

Balilo said PCG will ask the USS Guardian's crew on how the incident happened when it ran aground at 2:25 a.m. on Thursday.

""The Avenger-class ship had just completed a port call in Subic Bay, Olongapo City and was en route to her next port of call when the grounding occurred," the US Navy said.

The US Navy added that the ship's crew is now looking at ways to safely extract the ship from Tubbataha.

The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park located in the Sulu Sea is considered as one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world. Cable News Network's cnngo.com ranks it as one of the top diving destinations in the planet.