3 fishermen rescued from capsized boat

CEBU, Philippines -  Three fishermen were thrown overboard Tuesday afternoon after a huge wave knocked their boat some 200 meters from the shoreline of Poblacion South in Oton town of Iloilo.

The three were Rolly Margate, 38, owner of the fishing boat; Alden Aranda, 42; and Roger Cantera, 25, all residents of the place.

Tanods and members of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council rescued the three an hour later at the seawaters off Barangay Alegre, more than a kilometer from where their boat overturned.

Inspector Jose Rey Pabalan, Oton police deputy chief, said the three left in the morning when the weather was still fine. As they were approaching the shore, a huge wave with strong winds forced their boat to capsize.

The three survived after grabbing an improvised floater and swam to safety. "It also helps that they are good swimmers," said Pabalan, adding that they were not injured at all.  (FREEMAN)