-
Investigation is ongoing on motor banca Mama Mary Chloe, which caught fire on its way to Bato town in Leyte from Ubay, Bohol on June 26 and resulted in one casualty
-
The vessel departed from Ubay, Bohol at 1 p.m. carrying eight crew members and 157 passengers
Investigation is ongoing on motor banca Mama Mary Chloe, which caught fire on its way to Bato town in Leyte from Ubay, Bohol on June 26 and resulted in one casualty, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
As of June 27, all passengers and crew members of the vessel were accounted for, including one passenger earlier reported as missing. This passenger had been rescued but left the area immediately due to trauma, hence he was noted as missing.
The fire, the second such incident on an inter-island ferry in just a little more than a month, prompted the PCG to warn it will take tougher measures to avoid further fires on board vessels. Fastcraft MV Mercraft 2 caught fire onboard on May 23 while en route to Real, Quezon.
The Coast Guard ruled out overloading on Mama Mary Chloe, as it said the vessel, a locally built wooden boat powered by one engine, had a capacity of 236 persons. At the time of the incident, M/B Mama Mary Chloe had eight crew and 157 passengers, including 15 children.
On June 23 also PCG responded to another maritime incident involving fishing boat F/bca Gra Twin Sister, which capsized approximately 18 nautical miles off Barangay Saysain, Bagac, Bataan due to strong sea waves.
A June 26 PCG progress report on the capsizing of F/B Gra Twin Sister said the bodies of four fatalities were recovered while the fifth victim was still missing. They were among 50 crew members when the boat sailed into rough waters.
A weather report on that day said there was no low pressure area building up near Luzon but easterly winds were rather strong.
