THE body of one of the 12 crew members of a tugboat who went missing when Typhoon Odette (Rai) hit Cebu on December 16, 2021 has been found.
Commodore Agapito Bibat, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Central Visayas district commander, confirmed to SunStar Cebu that the body of Chief Engineer Abraham Dalumpines was recovered during their search and rescue operations.
Bibat, however, has not disclosed where and when Dalumpines’ body was recovered.
Dalumpines and 11 crew members of the tugboat mv Strong Trinity were docked beside another vessel off the coast of Talisay City on Dec. 16, to take shelter from Typhoon Odette when they were swept by the typhoon’s winds.
Bibat said after the typhoon, Dalumpines and his fellow crew members were never heard from again.
Aside from Dalumpines, the missing crew members included Captain Reynaldo C. Cuyos, Chief Mate Marholda Leah T. Amora, Second Made Krisxan Dawn N. Labata, AB Seaman Richard Michael M. Baco, AB Seaman Mark Anthony O. Marundan, Third Engineer Fritz Gerald B. Torres, Oiler Gifer F. de Pedro, Oiler Lyle B. Dayonot, Oiler Clyde D. Diaz, Oiler James Carlo I. Into and Welder Manuelito G. Oliveros
Bibat said the crew members’ whereabouts are still unknown.
Bibat said he visited the crew’s office, Key West Shipping Line Corp., to conduct an investigation.
“I decided to go to their office as I wanted to secure the exact coordinates where the tugboat was last seen by their company. If we can get those coordinates, we can immediately trace the boat’s exact location,” Bibat said.
Bibat added that one of the crew members reportedly survived the incident.
They are trying to verify the matter with the firm so they can get information on what happened during the incident.
Bibat urged the families of the crew members to continue coordinating with the shipping company, which is currently joining PCG personnel in the search and rescue operations. (BBT / JKV)