10 passengers survive Cagayan boat sinking

SANTA ANA, Cagayan – All 10 remaining passengers of the motorized boat that sank off this town last week are safe, police said.

Chief Insp. Jay-R Cumigad, Santa Ana police chief, said survivors of the sunken motorboat Jessa, a 15-meter wooden hulled boat that sank off Sitio Adeling, Barangay Patnanungan in the town April 14 are now recuperating in Ilagan, Isabela.

This came while the government’s ban on sea travel by small bancas along the northern Isabela-Cagayan coasts was still in effect following last December’s sinking of another seacraft where more than 50 of its passengers drowned.

Two of the 12 boat’s passengers, Baby Pascua and Hilario Hidalgo of Divilican town in Isabela’s Pacific coast drowned after their said boat capsized reportedly due to gusty winds brought about by a cold front along Cagayan’s Pacific coast.

Reports said there were no signs of weather disturbance before the boat sailed for Santa Ana that morning.

The survivors and the remains of the two fatalities were recovered during search operations conducted by the Maritime, Navy and Coast Guard hours after the tragedy. -- CL