Bago City residents traveling to a relative’s funeral in Guimaras were rescued at sea Friday night after their pump boat capsized, Coast Guard Station Northern Negros Occidental Commander Artzell Anacan said.
The vessel departed from Bantayan Park in Bago City around 4 p.m. on Friday, carrying a crew of two and nine family members from Barangay Binubuhan.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Substation in Pulupandan received a distress call at 5:37 p.m. reporting that the vessel had overturned in the waters between Negros and Guimaras , Anacan said.
Anacan said rescue bancas and a Coast Guard tugboat were immediately deployed, but responders faced initial difficulties locating the victims due to the rapidly fading daylight.
All 11 victims were successfully rescued at around 7 p.m., he said.
Following the rescue, the passengers were transported to the Bago City Hospital for medical evaluations. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, Anacan said.
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Negros Occidental-Bacolod City Chapter Emergency Response Unit (ERU) and the Bago City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) assisted the Coast Guard.
The PRC provided life vests, administered Psychological First Aid (PFA) to the shaken passengers, and assisted in their transfer to the hospital, it said.
Local fishermen also used their own pump boats to assist responders.*
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