1,869 stranded as Uwan threatens Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Up to 1,869 people were stranded in 24 ports across the country yesterday amid threats posed by Typhoon Uwan, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.

The PCG said that aside from sea travelers, 761 rolling cargoes and 30 vessels were stranded, while 23 ships and four motorboats opted to take shelter.

In Bicol, up to 1,245 passengers, 474 rolling cargoes and six vessels were not allowed to leave the ports due to Uwan.

The PCG said at least 151 rolling cargoes and four vessels were also stalled in Northeastern Mindanao.

Ten passengers, 59 rolling cargoes and five vessels were reported stranded in the southern part of the Visayas.

In Southern Tagalog, up to 119 passengers, 45 rolling cargoes and 15 vessels were stucked at various ports.

Western Visayas reported 495 passengers and 32 rolling cargoes stalled due to the coming typhoon.

Meanwhile, search and retrieval teams in Negros Island Region need more specialized K9 units to help locate people who went missing during the onslaught of Typhoon Tino.

Local disaster risk reduction and management officials said that as of Friday, the number of missing people in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental was at 54 and 11, respectively.

Irene Bel Plotena, Negros Occidental disaster officer, said that only two K9 teams are helping search the 19 missing people in La Castellana and La Carlota.

Plotena said the provincial government has asked the PCG to deploy more K9 units as some of the local teams were sent to Cebu to assist in similar operations.

Disaster officials in the nearby Negros Oriental is facing a similar problem as the province’s available K9 units are specialized for drugs and bomb retrieval.