FOUR crew members of a cargo ship died, seven were rescued, and nine others remained missing yesterday after their vessel, LCT Cebu Great Ocean, ran aground on Monday while seeking shelter in Malimono town, Surigao del Norte during typhoon “Bising.”
Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Armand Balilo said the PCG cannot immediately attribute the incident to Bising as there was no storm signal warning in the area at the time of the incident but the sea was rough. He said “human error” could have caused the vessel to run aground.
The official death toll from Bising rose to three yesterday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Bising, as of 4 p.m yesterday, was some 345 km east northeast of Tuguegarao City in Cagayan. It was moving northward at 15 kph, with maximum sustained winds of 165 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 205 kph.
Signal No. 1 was up in Batanes and parts of Cagayan and Isabela provinces.
Bising is forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility on Sunday morning, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
Balilo said the remains of Norman Galon, Michael Inoc, Jose Sherwin Laniba, and Mark Evan Cuesta were retrieved at the shorelines of San Francisco town in Surigao del Norte, and Surigao City in the same province.
Rescued in San Francisco and Malimono towns were Noli Labucay, Roger Polo, Arjie Bacarra, Joejie Villanueva, Felipe Quebuenm John Renzo Guanzon and Junmar Galeos.
Balilo said the vessel, was carrying nickel ore and 2,000 liters of diesel fuel, dropped anchor in Malimono town on Monday afternoon, heeding the advisory of the PCG to seek shelter due to the typhoon.
He said the anchor chain snapped and the vessel took in water, and then ran aground. The crewmen then abandoned ship.
“Ngayon, kung paano siya nag-aground, hindi natin alam kung hinampas ng hangin o nagkamali ng maneuver. (Now, we don’t know how it ran aground, whether it was slammed by strong winds or there was a mistake in maneuvering),” he said.
Balilo also said teams from the PCG and the PNP Maritime Group continue to conduct search and rescue operations.
Balilo said the owner of LCT Cebu Great Ocean deployed a private plane to conduct aerial survey. He said land mobility vehicles and drones were also deployed to help in the effort.
The Camp Aguinaldo-based NDRRMC said the third fatality from Bising is a 19-year-old female from Barangay Sacub in Hagonoy, Davao del Sur, who was hit by an uprooted tree.
The NDRRMC did not name the victim. The Office of Civil Defense-Davao Region named her as Dean Shenly Mamad.
Ten persons were reported injured from the typhoon, seven of them from Davao del Sur; and one remained missing.
Some 44,400 families or 169,100 persons have been preemptively evacuated in Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Caraga regions, according to the NDRRMC.
