Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Fishing boat, cargo vessel sink; 1 dead
A FISHING boat and a cargo vessel sank in bad weather off Cebu and Leyte Provinces last Sunday and Monday, killing a crewman, the Cebu Coast Guard (CG) yesterday said.
Except for a certain Loloy, of fishing boat (fb) Joy, the rest of the crewmen of the two seacrafts survived.
The fb Joy encountered foul weather while off San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu at 10 a.m. last Sunday, said Commander Antonio Cuasito, CG Central Eastern Visayas District chief of staff.
At 2:55 p.m., the Cebu City-bound mv Samar Star of Maypalad Shipping Lines passed by the area and rescued the first two survivors: Edwin Cualvar, 42, of Cogon-Pardo, Cebu City and Jose Luarez, 25, of Cantilan, Surigao del Sur.
The Cebu CG personnel escorted Cualvar to his home in Cogon-Pardo while Luarez was turned over to his aunt in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City Monday morning.
Cuasito said the fb Joy capsized after seawater swamped it, forcing the six crewmen to abandon ship and use empty containers as their inflatable life rafts.
The containers were the key to their survival in the cold and rough seas, where they fought for their lives for almost two days, he said.
Cuasito said the fishing boat, which left Tandag, Surigao del Sur last Saturday, was supposed to deliver boxes of fish to Cebu. He could not confirm reports it was loaded with sawn lumber.
Two other survivors—Danmark Daño, 14, of Esperanza, Bayugan, Agusan del Sur, and Joven Luarez—were rescued by local fishermen off Liloan, Cebu Monday night.
They were immediately taken to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City for treatment.
Fb Joy skipper Jobert Luarez, 28, was the last to be rescued by Bantay Dagat operatives in the seas off Catarman, Liloan town around 8:30 a.m. yesterday.
Cuasito said that Jobert was turned over to Barangay Captain Merlito Surita before he was taken for confinement at VSMMC.
Cuasito believes that Jose, Joven and Jobert are brothers.
As of yesterday, the CG had conflicting reports of the whereabouts of a certain Loloy, of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte, who is believed to have died.
The CG received a report that Loloy’s body was spotted off Caubian Island but another report said he was found off Liloan, Cebu.
Meanwhile, Andres Solaber Jr., the skipper of mb St. Elizabeth, and his six crewmen were rescued by local fishermen after their cargo boat sank off Hinunangan, Southern Leyte last Monday.
Cuasito said the 99.22-gross-ton vessel was carrying 10,000 cases of beer when battered by powerful waves and winds, which sank it around 4 a.m. It had left Mandaue City at 9 p.m. last Saturday.
The mishap happened while the weather bureau Pagasa hoisted signal number one in Cebu due to tropical storm Ambo.
Aided by CG personnel of Maasin City, Southern Leyte, the six survivors boarded an inter-island ferry in Bato town for Cebu City Monday night. They were expected to arrive at the pier at 3 p.m. yesterday. (GC)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 16, 2008 issue)
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