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Monday, January 16, 2006
16 die, mostly kids, in parade for Niño
MANILA - An overloaded boat capsized during a sea parade to honor the Sto. Niño in Southern Leyte yesterday morning, killing at least 16 people, most of them children.
The ferry, which the vice mayor owns, suddenly overturned and hurled its passengers into the sea in San Ricardo town, officials and witnesses said.
It had around 200 persons on board, far beyond its 60-passenger capacity.
At least 20 revelers were still missing as of 8 last night, according to an ABS-CBN report.
San Ricardo had barely recovered from a landslide in December 2003 that left dozens dead and hundreds homeless, when the sea tragedy struck at 11 a.m. yesterday.
“I saw lots of children crying for help. They were scattered in the water,” said Rogelio Buba, a fisherman aboard a boat trailing mv SunJay. Buba’s wife and two-year-old daughter were on board the ferry.
The Coast Guard and army were on their way to the scene of the tragedy to help in the search, officials said.
Southern Leyte Gov. Rosette Lerias said one person fell overboard and when others on the vessel went to one side to see what had happened, the vessel flipped.
Buba said revelers crowded to one side after seeing a large black fish swimming nearby.
The religious sea parade was meant to honor the Infant Jesus, during the annual festival of Sto. Nino.
Although the accident occurred in good weather, many of the victims were unable to reach shore because of injuries or strong currents, said Lerias.
Buba said many children swam to his boat and he helped about 10 on board, while he looked frantically for his family. He later saw his wife struggling to lift their unconscious daughter above water.
Other fishermen in the area rescued them as his boat was already filled with children, he told the Associated Press by telephone from a hospital, where his daughter was being treated, in nearby Pintuyan town.
His daughter later regained consciousness but remained in the hospital. Corazon Gloria, a doctor at the hospital, said 16 bodies were brought there, including 14 children.
Vice Mayor Fiel Culpa, who owns the boat, told ABS-CBN she will give aid to the victims.
Governor Lerias, who was directing rescue operations from Manila, said local officials in San Ricardo couldn’t immediately determine the exact number of people missing because there was no boat passenger manifest.
The tragedy should prompt officials to strictly enforce safety rules during similar public celebrations, Lerias said.
“We can’t stop traditions but this is a wake-up call,” she said. “Children shouldn’t be allowed aboard these boats because they’re the most helpless when accident strikes.”
Boat accidents are common in the Philippines because many ferries used in inter-island travel are old and poorly maintained and there is weak enforcement of sea safety regulations. (AP)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (January 16, 2006 issue)
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