Missing crew of sunken cargo vessel found dead

Crew members of MV Meridian Tres talk about their ordeal after they were rescued by the crew of MV Filipinas Butuan. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/CHESTER COKALIONG)

THE body that was found floating in the sea off Nocnocan Island in Bohol was identified as the crew member of MV Meridian Tres which sank last Tuesday evening.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Jimmy Berbo, commander of the Talibon Coast Guard Station, said Benjamin Orola was identified by his daughter Joy.

“Orola’s daughter herself confirmed that the cadaver belongs to her father,” Berbo told Cebu Daily News over the phone.

Although the body already bloated, Joy identified her father through the latter’s sleeveless shirt, blue jersey pants and wedding ring.

No other details were given by Berbo.

Orola, a crane operator, went missing after cargo vessel MV Meridian Tres sank in the waters near Dawahon Island between the provinces of Bohol and Leyte at around 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

MV Meridian Tres, a steel-hulled cargo vessel over 250 gross tons, left Pier 5 in Cebu City at 1:55 p.m. on Tuesday.
Despite a gale warning issued by the state’s weather bureau Pagasa, the cargo vessel was cleared by the Philippine Coast Guard to sail to Tacloban City since it had over 250 gross tonnage.

Seven hours later, the vessel was battered by huge waves in between the islands of Leyte and Bohol, causing it to tilt and later sink.

Twenty-eight of the 29 crew members and cargo escorts were saved by nearby vessels and Coast Guard teams that responded to the distress call.