The Philippines, which has been battling flash floods and storms, witnessed another black day as 21 people were killed after a passenger boat overturned in Laguna Lake southeast of Manila. According to police, the incident occurred on Thursday when the ill-fated boat was lashed by strong winds in Laguna Lake while carrying passengers from Kalinawan village in Binangonan town.
Further, police said at least 40 people were rescued, but operations were still continuing. However, it did not immediately provide figures for the total number of people on board the MBCA Aya when it capsized in Rizal province. Citing the coast guard, news agency Associated Press, reported that the boat capsized when its passengers moved to one side of the boat in panic when it was battered by fierce winds about 46 meters from Kalinawan village in Binangonan town.
“The operation is still ongoing for the possible rescue of other passengers,” the Rizal police said in a statement. It did not provide other details like how many passengers and crewmembers were onboard the boat when it overturned, but police promised to provide updates.
The boat sinking brought the death toll from stormy weather to at least 30. At least nine people were reported killed earlier, mostly due to landslides, flooding and toppled trees and thousands were displaced, disaster response officials said.
Sea accidents are common in the Philippine
Sea travel was suspended in many ports during Doksuri’s onslaught from Tuesday to Wednesday, stranding thousands of passengers and cargo trucks. The no-sail orders were gradually lifted Thursday as the weather improved in many areas.
Coast Guard spokesman Armand Balilo said the passenger boat had been cleared to sail from Binangonan town to nearby Talim island because the typhoon had blown out of the country.
Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of frequent storms, badly maintained boats, overcrowding and weak enforcement of safety regulations. In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.
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