3 die after eating seaweeds

BOLINAO, Pangasinan — Three persons in Barangay Lucero on Santiago Island here died Saturday after they reportedly ate an unknown kind of seaweeds, according to Natividad Pizarro, nurse at the Municipal Health Office in this town.

As of press time the names of the fatalities were not yet known.

Santiago Island, inhabited by about 16,000 people, is composed of seven barangays and can be reached by a 10-minute boat ride from here.

Westly Rosario, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources center chief based in Dagupan City, told The STAR that he received a report that two families, the Galicioso and the Celinos, were brought to a hospital reportedly due to poisoning caused by seaweeds.

Rosario said the report added that several balingatan, or sea snakes, were seen floating dead near the island due to unknown reason.

Last February, the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UPMSI) based here issued a warning after a massive fishkill hit this town after the growth of phytoplanktons that might have caused the fishkill. However, Mayor Jesus Celeste got angry with the UPMSI people for issuing such warning which might have added "unwarranted fear" among the people and affect further the fishing industry of the town. — Eva de Leon