By CALVIN CORDOVA
CEBU CITY – Local authorities here are attending to the needs of the survivors of MB Habagat Romeo, which sank off San Francisco town, Camotes Island, Cebu, Tuesday morning.
Raffy Luche, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office’s (PDRRMO) Emergency Response Search and Rescue Division here, said they accounted for 29 survivors in the sea mishap, seven of them children, including three infants.
The youngest survivor is a three-month-old baby girl, while the oldest is a 77-year-old woman.
Luche said three of the survivors sustained traumatic injuries and were rushed to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu.
“The province’s social welfare office will shoulder their hospital expenses while we will also facilitate the survivors’ return to Camotes,” said Luche.
Two died in the accident, including a 2-year-old girl and a woman believed to be between 30 and 40 years old.
A search and retrieval operation was still ongoing as of 3 p.m. yesterday for three missing passengers aged nine, two and four.
The survivors arrived in Mandaue City aboard MV Lite Ferry around 9 p.m. Tuesday. Social workers from Mandaue City provided the survivors with food and clothing.
The survivors also underwent debriefing shortly after they arrived in Mandaue, said Luche.
Initial investigation showed the boat came from Carmen town in Camotes where they attended a fiesta celebration. They were heading home to San Francisco town when they met the accident.
“They encountered big waves that caused the boat to sink. There were no gale warning during that day but the weather forecast indicated there will be rough seas,” said Luche.
The boat was skippered by 51-year-old Romar Hermosilla, who also survived.
“The boat sank off Tulang Point. It’s an open sea area that’s why big waves are normal there even if there is no gale warning,” said Luche.
