31 rescued as boat sinks off Zambo City

ZAMBOANGA CITY  , Philippines  —   Thirty-one fishermen were rescued by personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) after their boat capsized off the coast of this city yesterday.

Meanwhile, an imam died in a storm surge that destroyed at least 200 houses in a fishing village here.

The fatality was identified as Sonny Tadjali.

Disaster and local officials said flashfloods submerged several villages in Vitali district.

The fishermen were on their way to a fishing venture when big waves spawned by Tropical Storm Odette battered their vessel.

“Vessels were prohibited from sailing due to rough seas in this part of the region,” PCG Zamboanga station chief Lt. Cmdr. Alvin Dagalea said.

One of the fishermen managed to call his wife, who alerted the coast guard.       

The boat sank at around 3 a.m. after the waves broke its outrigger.

The fishermen clung to the boat for three hours before they were rescued near Tigtabun Island. They were brought to the PCG station in Barangay Sangali.

The PCG reported that a Vietnamese boat also sank off the coast of Burgos in Ilocos Norte.

Authorities said the M/V Hung Long 14 sank at around 9:30 a.m. due to bad weather.

The PCG dispatched the BRP Malabrigo to search for the four missing crewmembers.

Storm surge

Ronald Maravilla, chairman of Barangay Labuan, said close to 500 families or about 2,480 individuals were displaced after the waves battered their houses.

Maravilla said they have yet to account for the exact number of damaged houses, which he believed was more than 200.

The storm surge started to batter the village at around 1 a.m., forcing families to flee amid heavy downpour.

Tadjali reportedly returned to retrieve some clothes and belongings when the waves swept their house away.

In nearby Barangay Limpapa, at least 40 houses were also destroyed by the storm surge.              – With Edu Punay