Overloaded pumpboat capsizes off Olango, 51 rescued

Local

WHAT was supposed to be a festive boat ride turned into a near-tragedy when an overloaded pumpboat capsized off the coast of Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City on Tuesday morning, February 25.

The motorbanca, MB Ningning, capsized after it was battered by large waves. The motorbanca was carrying 51 passengers and crew members, more than twice its 20-person capacity.

City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) head Nagiel Bañacia said the passengers, mostly fiesta-goers from Barangay Caubian, had no other available transportation that morning, which led them to overcrowd the boat.

He added that the passengers managed to call for help as the boat went down.

Relatives of the passengers and local fishermen were the first to arrive at the scene, using their own motorboats to pull people from the water.

The Lapu-Lapu City Rescue team, Olango Coast Guard Station, Philippine National Police Maritime Group, and barangay public safety officers (BPSO) from Caw-oy, Tingo, Baring, and Sabang later reinforced the rescue efforts.

In a data sent to MyTV Cebu, it said that all 51 people on board, including seven children and an elderly passenger, survived.

Rescuers identified the boat captain as Jesse Daño, with Joram Barong and Jerome Bangcale as crew members.

Authorities brought the rescued passengers to the Olango Mini City Hall, where they received medical care, food, and clothing.

“Ang tanang 51 ka mga pasahero lakip na ang crew naluwas na tanan gikan sa nalunod nga pumpboat. Praise God!,” said Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan in a Facebook post.(MyTVCebu)