By Danny Estacio and Betheena Kae Unite
SAN ANDRES, Quezon — All but one of the 37 passengers of a boat that capsized in choppy waters off Dapa Island, this province Saturday morning were rescued alive and taken safely to this town, police said.
(photo courtesy of Coast Guard District Bicol Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN)
Captain Armand Balilo, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman, said a child died in the sinking of motorbanca “Princess Donna” at past 10 a.m. Saturday.
“Around 10 in the morning, Coast Guard received the SOS (distress signal). So mga earlier pa siguro nangyari, mahina rin kasi signal sa area (So, the incident happened earlier than 10 a.m. and signal is weak on the area),” Balilo told The Manila Bulletin.
Chief Inspector Liza Capistrano, Quezon Police Provincial Office (PIO) public information officer, said it was two hours after the boat capsized and sank that the San Andres Municipal Police Station (MPS) received the alert.
Capistrano said there was no other information available as of mid-afternoon and that none of the passengers or crew members of the boat were identified as the investigation was still ongoing.