Death toll from capsized sand carrier hits 9
(UPDATED STORY)
Three more cadavers were recovered from the capsized sand carrier MV Hong Hai 16 in the waters of Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, raising even further the death toll to nine, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported Easter Sunday, April 20.
The PCG said the first cadaver was retrieved from the accommodation area of the vessel at 3:56 p.m. on Black Saturday, April 19, by personnel of the PCG’s Special Operations Group-Southern Tagalog and technical wreck divers of the Special Operations Force, who were deployed from Manila to reinforce the search and rescue mission.
The second and third bodies were found at Cargo Hold No. 1 and Cargo Hold Monitoring Control Room at 9:17 a.m. and 3:10 p.m., respectively, on Easter Sunday, April 20.
“Identification of the recovered individuals remains pending. The names of the deceased will be released upon notification of their next of kin,” the PCG said in a statement.
Meanwhile, two crew members remained missing as the PCG continued its diving operations to locate them amid challenges such as poor visibility and structural dangers from the submerged vessel.
During underwater operations, PCG divers have recovered personal items from the vessel’s bridge area and second-floor cabin.
The PCG and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO)-San Jose also held a joint coastal assessment covering a one-kilometer coastal stretch up to eight kilometers from the incident site.
Surface monitoring revealed no traces of an oil spill in the vicinity waters of Rizal.
“No seagrass beds or coral reefs were observed in the area, likely due to significant siltation,” the PCG said.
Meanwhile, in observance of the Holy Week, the Coast Guard Chaplain Services held a Black Saturday Mass to offer prayers for the affected families and the continued safety of responders involved in the operations.
The Chinese-flagged MV Hong Hai 16 capsized at approximately 100 meters from the shoreline of Barangay Malawaan on Holy Tuesday, April 15. It had 25 crew members, of which, 13 were Filipinos and 12 were Chinese.
Fourteen crew members were rescued from the ill-fated vessel when the incident occurred.