Death toll from three boat accidents rises to 25

MANILA: At least 25 people were killed and five others missing when three passenger boats capsized and sank off Iloilo province in the Visayas due to bad weather that made the seas rough and dangerous, a disaster control official confirmed on Sunday.

Donna Magno, the chief of the Iloilo Provincial Risk Reduction and Management Council, said most of the fatalities were passengers from two motorboats, identified as MB Che-che and MB Koziah, that sank in the seas between the provinces of Iloilo and Guimaras.

Magno cited initial reports indicating that at least 11 were killed when the two vessels capsized and sank one ater the other shortly ater noon on Saturday, with several other passengers rescued.

But the death toll soared to a total of 25 when rescue teams found more bodies from the two boats and the third, identified as MB Jenny Vince that sank three hours later on Saturday between Iloilo and Guimaras, according to Magno.

Magno said MB Che-che was bound for Guimaras from Iloilo City while MB Koziah was going in the opposite direction, meaning from Guimaras to Iloilo, when giant waves and gale-force winds forced them to capsize and sink.

“Ater the first incident, there was a cancellation of trips and that’s the reason why we were surprised when we heard about the third sinking,” Magno said, referring to the tragedy that befell MB Jenny Vince.

Magno said Jenny Vince was a carrying a total of 38 passengers and crew when it sank in heavy seas reportedly with a passenger killed with several others either rescued or reported as still missing.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has yet to issue a statement but Magno said they would convene a board of maritime inquiry to investigate and determine the cause as well as pinpoint responsibility. The maritime tragedy occurred amid reports that thousands of people fled their homes as monsoon rain triggered flash floods and caused rivers to swell in several provinces on the main island of Luzon.

State weathermen said a low pressure area spotted off Catanduanes province in the Bicol Region has developed into a tropical depression with the local name of Hannah that could cause heavy rains in the affected areas.

Weathermen assured that Hannah would not make any landfall but warned that it could bring heavy rain, along with the prevailing southwest monsoon, that could cause floods and landslides especially in critical areas.