2 boats sink off Cebu; 1 killed, 12 rescued

A fishing boat and a passenger-cargo vessel, battered by strong winds and huge waves which tropical storm "Caloy" had spawned, capsized off Cebu yesterday morning, leaving one person dead and 12 others rescued, the Coast Guard said.

Lt. Miguel Tabaros, Coast Guard director for Eastern and Central Visayas, said in a phone interview that another vessel, M/V Mansan 2, with an undetermined number of passengers, was reported missing yesterday.

"We have suspended operations of vessels weighing below 1,000 gross tons since Wednesday because of the storm. The (three) seacraft still (sailed) despite the prohibition," he said.

Tabares said M/V Gold Harvest, a passenger-cargo vessel, sank at about 8:30 a.m. yesterday while approaching the Talisay port.

Crewmen of M/V Akita, then docked at the port, helped rescue the five crew members of Gold Harvest.

Before noon, the fishing boat Ban Tandan capsized while cruising the Hilutagan Channel between the Olango and Mactan islands.

Fishermen came to the rescue of the eight crewmen of Ban Tandan, but managed to save only seven of them.

Tabares said a certain Uldarica Haba reported to the Coast Guard that his boat, the M/V Mansan 2, was missing in the sea.

He quoted Haba as saying that the boat left Argao for Bohol yesterday morning but did not reach its destination. Aboard the boat was an undetermined number of people, including Haba’s son.

The Coast Guard has dispatched patrol craft to search for the missing boat.