‘Auring’ death toll now 8

Tropical storm "Auring" left at least eight people dead and one missing after cutting through the Visayas, the National Disaster and Coordinating Council (NDCC) said.

Of the eight, three were killed when they were hit by falling trees in Bantayan and Medellin towns in Cebu and Tanauan, Leyte.

The rest drowned when a boat capsized early Thursday morning while anchored at the Ormoc City pier.

In Jetafe, Bohol, a motorized banca bound for Olango Island in Mactan, Cebu also sank, but its six passengers and crewmen were rescued.

Because of the twin mishaps, President Arroyo ordered the Coast Guard to strictly enforce maritime laws, including safety inspections of all vessels in the country’s ports.

Meanwhile, rescue efforts were underway yesterday for 10 crewmen of a Surigao-bound fishing vessel that went adrift in the Pacific Ocean at the height of "Auring," the NDCC said. — Roberto Dejon, Jaime Laude, Paolo Romero and AFP