PCG Ilocos Norte station commander Laurel Paul Mariano Jr. said the students were on an excursion activity in Badoc Island and failed to return home Thursday afternoon due to strong winds and heavy waves from tropical storm “Dante.” “We were informed that there were students who got stranded at Badoc Island. We immediately launched our rubber boat on Thursday afternoon but we aborted it because of high waves. After we were able to talk with one of them via phone call, we advised the group to just stay there overnight and wait for their rescue early in the morning,” he said.
He added it is safer for the students to stay there overnight until the bad weather subsides.
PCG personnel, in close coordination with the local disaster risk reduction and management councils, are on heightened alert in case of any eventuality.
As strong to gale force winds are still expected to affect the western and northern seaboards of Northern Luzon, fishing boats and small seacraft are advised not to venture out into the sea while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves.