Motor banca sinks off Gilutangan, 18 rescued

Local

ALL 18 passengers aboard a motorized banca that capsized off the waters of Gilutungan Island in Cordova, Cebu were safely rescued Sunday afternoon, Dec. 28.

The motorized banca, Jhon David, sailed from Getafe, Bohol to Cebu City when it reportedly became unstable and overturned near Gilutungan Island.

In a statement released Monday, Dec. 29, the PCG said Coast Guard personnel from the Coast Guard Sub-Station (CGSS) Cordova were manning the Passenger Assistance Center Desk (PACD) at the Cordova RoRo Port at around 1:20 p.m. under Oplan Biyaheng Ayos Pasko 2025 when it was informed about the incident.

Search and rescue operations were immediately launched.

The Coast Guard deployed response boat RB-023 and coordinated with a hired motorized banca to reach the distressed passengers.

At around 1:40 p.m., CGSS Aduana received a distress report from a Coast Guard personnel onboard MV Ocean Jet 10, a fast craft plying the Getafe, Bohol–Cebu route.

The vessel’s master and crew promptly conducted rescue operations and successfully retrieved 14 of the 18 passengers from the water.

The rescued passengers were safely transported to Pier 1 in Cebu City, where Coast Guard personnel provided immediate assistance and conducted an initial assessment.

By 2:11 p.m., the CGSS Cordova search and rescue team arrived at the incident site and confirmed that the remaining two passengers — identified as the banca’s operator or skipper and his son — had also been rescued by Coast Guard personnel using a rented motorized banca.

Authorities said no serious injuries were reported among any of the 18 passengers.

Initial investigation revealed that the banca, which was carrying 18 persons, encountered instability while navigating near the waters off Gilutungan Island, causing it to capsize.

The vessel later drifted toward waters off Cuaming Island

in Bohol.

Towing operations were subsequently carried out, and by around 4:20 p.m., the capsized banca was successfully secured near Cordova Reef, the Coast Guard said.(TGP)