DAVAO CITY – Forty-five passengers and five crew members were rescued after a motorized banca on its way to an island hopping around Samal Island sank 150 meters away from the Sta. Ana Wharf here yesterday, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Davao Station Commander George Maganto said.
Maganto said the boat was not overloaded but it sank at 7:55 a.m. when a rope that was connected to a sinker got entangled with its propeller.
He said rescue teams from the PCG and Maritime Industry Authority were dispatched immediately and all passengers, some of them sustained minor injuries, were rescued at 8:20 a.m.
All passengers were sent home, according to Maganto.
“We are conducting an investigation together with Marina to identify who is at fault. The owner of the boat has insurance,” he said.
Authorities pulled the sunken boat back to the pier, he said. (Armando Fenequito)