ZAMBOANGA CITY: At least seven Abu Sayyaf terrorists were killed in a sea chase that erupted in a gunbattle early Tuesday off the southern Philippine province of Sulu on Mindanao island, according to security officials.

”All seven Abu Sayyaf [fighters] were killed in the clash. Retrieval operations are going on. The bodies sank, the motor boat sank, but we have combat divers in the area,” Maj. Gen. William Gonzales, commander of the anti-terror Joint Task Force Sulu, said.