3 Taiwanese dead, 27 rescued in Boracay boat accident

MANILA, Philippines - Two Taiwanese women and a toddler who were part of a tour group reportedly died when their boat capsized in Boracay yesterday.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said that based on the initial report provided by their station in Boracay, 30 Taiwanese tourists took an island-hopping cruise on board the motorboat Kevin 2.

“It appeared that there were about 30 Taiwanese tourists who joined an island hopping tour in Boracay, and when they were about 300 yards away from the shoreline, the boat capsized,” said Balilo.

The two women, aged 71 and 49, and the two-year-old girl who was trapped under the overturned boat, were declared dead on arrival in the hospital.

“The other Taiwanese nationals and the local crew of the boat were reportedly rescued. They were taken to a Baptist hospital in Caticlan, Aklan for medical treatment,” he added.

The PCG was still gathering information as of press time, but their station in Boracay learned about the incident at around 2:10 p.m. yesterday.

“We still do not know if weather was a factor in this incident but the initial information we got was that while they were out at sea, there was only light rain and wind so they pulled down the overhead cover of the boat that was made of canvass. We are looking at the possibility that if, by installing the canvass, the wind could have carried and controlled the direction of the boat,” he said.

Authorities are trying to determine if the boat was overloaded. All the tourists were wearing life vests.– With AP