MANILA, PHILIPPINES: The Philippines said the China Coast Guard blocked a Filipino supply vessel and damaged it with water cannon Saturday morning near a reef off the Southeast Asian country.The Philippine military said the nearly hour-long attack occurred off Second Thomas Shoal in the contested South China Sea, where Chinese ships have unleashed water cannon and collided with Filipino vessels in similar stand-offs in recent months.The military released video clips that showed a white ship repeatedly dousing another vessel sailing alongside it with a water cannon. One clip showed two white ships simultaneously firing water at the same vessel.Another clip showed a white ship marked “China Coast Guard” crossing the bow of a grey vessel it identified as the Philippine supply boat Unaizah May 4, which was damaged in a China Coast Guard water cannon attack in the same area on March 5 that left four crew members injured.It said the videos were taken Saturday morning while the Unaizah May 4 was on its way to Ayungin Shoal — the Filipino name for the outcrop garrisoned by a small unit of Philippine troops that is also claimed by Beijing.”The UM4 supply boat sustained heavy damages at around 08:52 (am) due to the continued blasting of water cannons from the CCG vessels,” the military said in a statement, without describing the nature of the damage or whether there were any casualties.Despite the attack, the damaged vessel and a coast guard escort ship that came to its aid later delivered its cargo as well as six navy personnel to the Filipino outpost, the military said in an update.
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