Passengers rescued in two sea incidents

CEBU, Philippines - At least 122 passengers on board a fast craft heading for Tubigon, Bohol yesterday afternoon were rescued and transferred to another vessel when the one they were riding encountered a problem.

Starcraft 2 left Pier 1 in Cebu City around midday and encountered the problem about three nautical miles to Tubigon Port.

Petty Officer Cerino Sambas of the Philippine Coast Guard in Tubigon, Bohol, said they got a call from a passenger of Starcraft 2 around 2:45 p.m.

Cerino said it was found out later that the cooling of Starcraft 2 overheated.

Sambas said that upon learning of the emergency, the management of Starcraft immediately sent another vessel, Starcraft 6, which was making a return trip to Cebu.

Of the 122  passengers transferred to Starcraft 6, 112 were adults, seven were children and three were infants.

Sambas said everyone, including the vessel’s crew members, were safe.

The Starcraft 2 was subsequently pulled back to port by a vessel of Lite Ferry.    

In another incident, 40 passengers of a motorized banca, which was heading to Cebu City from Getafe, Bohol were rescued when the vessel stopped traveling near Lapu-Lapu City owing to zero visibility caused by heavy rains.  

In a text message to The Freeman, Commodore William Melad, chief of the Philippine Coast Guard 7, said the banca stopped at around 2:30 p.m. and drifted to a shallow portion of the sea.

“Unfortunately, they were drifted towards a shallow area and subsequently touched bottom,” Melad’s message reads.

It was reportedly around 4:15 p.m. when the crew of the motorbanca managed to push the vessel to a deeper area of the sea when the rain stopped.

The motorbanca arrived at Pier 1 around 4:20 with everyone on board safe, Melad said.  (FREEMAN)