All the passengers of the ill-fated pump boat which capsized off the seawaters of Sibonga town in southern Cebu last night, were all rescued and safe. | Sibonga MDRRMO photo via Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A storm surge caused a pump boat carrying a family from Bohol province to capsize along the municipal seawaters of Sibonga, southern Cebu on Thursday evening, June 20.
The victims were reportedly on their way back to Bohol after attending a relative’s burial in Cebu.
The accident happened at around 9:20 p.m., involving one pump boat.
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Police, in a report, revealed that they received a call about the capsized pump boat on Thursday evening.
Immediately after, officers also informed the Philippine Coast Guard and Sibonga Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) personnel to respond to the incident.
The victims were identified as Federico Flores, 72; Desiderio Flores, 42; Sarah Sacedon, 48; and Atis Flores, 78.
Also with them were a 15-year-old boy and a 5-year-old child.
All the victims onboard were residents of Barangay Mantatao in the municipality of Calape, Bohol province.
The victims reportedly ferried on the boat from their hometown to Sibonga, Cebu to be present for the burial of a relative on Thursday.
After the burial, they immediately went back on the boat and began their journey back home.
However, the family encountered a storm surge while navigating the seas off the coast of Sibonga, which damaged their pump boat.
Map from Google shows the towns of Sibonga in Cebu (left) and Calape in Bohol (right).
This then led to the boat to capsize, prompting them to ask for help.
At around 9:40 p.m., authorities received a call from Federico Flores’ daughter that they had been rescued.
Fortunately, two relative of the victims, who were fishermen, were able to help the victims and bring them to safety.
There were no casualties in the incident, according to the report.
Sibonga is a 3rd class municipality located approximately 51 kilometers southeast of Cebu City. /clorenciana