ILOILO CITY – Three persons died and seven remain missing after two boats bound for Caluya Island in Antique province capsized in the sea between Romblon and Boracay on Monday, August 26.
THE body of a man who died after two boats bound for Antique sank on August 26 is recovered in Romblon. (Philippine Coast Guard-Romblon Station)
Ten individuals survived the maritime tragedy, the Philippine Coast Guard said.
The two boats loaded with 20 passengers left Boracay Island in Malay town, Aklan province around 3 a.m. but sank after encountering strong waves.
Three of the bodies turned up in Romblon, according to the PCG-Romblon.
The PCG-Antique said passengers were mainly workers of Equator Construction Company based in Caluya.
They were reportedly in Boracay for a short vacation during the long weekend.
The Office of Civil Defense-6 said retrieval operations are ongoing for the missing persons.
The OCD-6 added that the Philippine Air Force and the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group augmented the PCG in retrieval operations.
The two boats allegedly did not have permits to carry passengers.