CEBU CITY, Philippines — More than 1,000 passengers remain stranded in the ports of Cebu and Bohol following the cancellation of trips of shipping lines.
The Philippine Coast Guard in Central Visayas (PCG-7), in a bulletin at 10 p.m. on Thursday, December 27, said that at least 876 passengers remain stranded in Cebu City ports while 200 others were not able to sail in Bohol ports.
Eleven trips from Cebu City ports that were bound for northern Cebu and Eastern Visayas were cancelled since Thursday morning due to Tropical Depression Usman. Five motorbancas and 70 rolling cargoes are also stranded at the ports.
A tropical storm warning signal number 1 has been hoisted over 29 areas in the provinces of Eastern Visayas, Western Visayas, Southern Luzon, northern Cebu including Camotes Island and Dinagat Island.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in its bulletin at 11 p.m. on Thursday that the center of TD Usman was estimated at about 330 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 65 kph. TD Usman was moving west-northwest with a speed of 10 kph.
Usman may intensify into a Tropical Storm prior to landfall over Eastern Samar this evening (December 28), Pagasa said.
Moderate to heavy rains, which may trigger flooding and landslides, will continue over Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas and Dinagat Islandst.
Meanwhile, moderate to heavy rains will affect Visayas, Bicol Region, Mindoro Provinces, Marinduque, Romblon, and Quezon today, December 28.