35 Passengers, Including 15 Kids, Rescued From Capsized Fishing Vessel off Cordova, Cebu

Thirty-five passengers, including 15 children, were rescued from an unregistered fishing vessel which capsized in the waters off Hilutungan, Cordova, Cebu Friday night.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Cebu Station Commander Agapito Bibat said the unregistered fishing vessel was bound for Getafe, Bohol.

Staff from the Nalusuan Beach Resort on nearby Nalusuan Island rescued all the passengers.

Heindrich Mendoza, the resort manager, said he instructed the captain of the resort’s boat to tow the capsized boat all the way to Getafe.

The rescued passengers, he said, were welcomed by the barangay captain and were fed.

One of the survivors, Raenel Bihasa, 20, who hails from Banakon Island in Getafe, Bohol, said they boarded the fishing vessel at the Pasil Fish Port in Cebu City Friday afternoon.

Bihasa said they arrived in Tangke, Talisay at 3 p.m. Friday to collect more passengers.

Bihasa said water entered the vessel at around 6:30 p.m. after the engine exploded and made a hole at the back.

Bihasa said they threw overboard the cargo, mostly sacks of rice for the fiesta in Getafe on Sunday, but that did not stop the water from entering, causing the motor banca to sink.

Bihasa said the passengers, especially the children, were clinging to the outrigger to survive, until help came. (PNA) SCS/EB/SSC