More than 2,000 passengers were stranded in the various ports of the country as typhoon 'Bising' (international name: “Surigae”) started to unleash its fury over eastern part of the country, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on Sunday, April 18.
As of 8 a.m. on Sunday, the PCG said a total of 2,301 passengers were stranded in Eastern Visayas, Bicol, Central Visayas, and North Eastern Mindanao regions. Those stranded include passengers, drivers, and cargo helpers.
Meanwhile, at least 52 vessels and 52 motorbancas were forced to take shelter.
The PCG suspended the shipping operations on Friday, April 16 until Tuesday, April 20, as precautionary measure due to threat of strong winds and storm surge as warned by weather experts.
According to the latest advisory from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), “Bising” slowed down slightly while it maintained its strength over the Philippine Sea east of Northern Samar on Sunday morning, April 18.
PAGASA noted that the typhoon may maintain its strength Sunday before gradually weakening throughout the forecast period.