ILOILO CITY – The death toll in last Saturday’s sea tragedy on the Iloilo Strait which separates this city from the island province of Guimaras has reached 26 while nine others are still missing.
“We recovered 11 bodies today,” said Donna Magno, chief of the Iloilo City Risk Reduction and Management Office and official incident spokesperson.
This is after the passenger boat Jenny Vince washed ashore yesterday morning in Dumangas, Iloilo.
Personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard had to break open the haul of the boat to retrieve the 10 bodies of people who were trapped inside. The body of a boy also washed ashore in the town.
“There’s also another report of an unclaimed body in one hospital here,” Magno said.
Jose Roberto Nuñez, director of the Office of Civil Defense Western Visayas, has requested a boat of the Philippine Navy to help in the rescue and recovery of the nine missing persons.
Fifty-three survived from the 87 passengers and crew members of three different passenger boats that capsized Saturday.
The first incident, which killed an initial 10 people, occurred around noontime Saturday and involved passenger boats “Chi-Chi” and “Keziah 2.”
Chi-Chi was on its way to Jordan Wharf in Jordan, Guimaras from Parola Wharf in this city while Keziah was coming from the other direction.
The two boats encountered what locals call “pugada” (squall), which is characterized by sudden strong wind and rain.
The two boats had 41 survivors from the 51 passengers and crew.
The second incident occurred three hours later at 3:30 p.m.after passenger boat Jenny Vince was allowed by the PCG to travel from the wharf of Buenavista, Guimaras to this city despite the incident that occurred more than two hours earlier.
After the third boat capsized, PCG officials have been mum on who gave the go-signal that allowed Jenny Vince to depart. It took both Mayors Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City and Eugene Reyes of Buenavista to order the total suspension of sea trips on Guimaras Strait. (Tara Yap and Aaron Recuenco)
