Stranded passengers in Bicol ports rise to over 700 due to rough seas
MANILA, Philippines — The number of stranded passengers in Bicol ports rose to over 700 as port authorities maintained the suspension of sea travel due to rough seas.
Bernardo Alejandro, Office of Civil Defense director in the Bicol region, said that as of noon Sunday, the stranded passengers included 431 at the port of Tabaco City and 137 in Pio Duran, both in Albay; 56 at Bulan Port and 58 at Pilar Port, both in Sorsogon; 11 at the Virac port and seven in San Andres Port, both in Catanduanes; 19 at the Pasacao Port; and 11 at Guijalo, both in Camarines Norte.
Also stranded in these ports were 78 cargo trucks, 15 sea vessels and 3 motorized banca.
Seaman First Danilo Gerona of the Philippine Coast Guard in Bicol (PCG 5), said these passengers and vessels were stranded since Saturday after the Coast Guard issued a gale warning for fishing boats, small sea craft and larger sea vessels traveling along the seaboards of Visayas and the eastern seaboard of Southern Luzon and Mindanao.
There was no report of missing fishermen as of Sunday, in Bicol, Gerona added.
The passengers stranded at the Tabaco port, all of whom were bound for the island-province of Catanduanes, were provided with meals since Saturday by the provincial government of Albay, said Alejandro.
All flights in Legazpi City were meanwhile canceled Sunday due to low visibility but those at the Naga City Airport, which was suspended earlier in the day, resumed at 11 a.m., said Alejandro.
In Catanduanes, health and disaster authorities were placed on alert as the province, where storm signal number 1 has been hoisted Saturday, was battered by tropical storm Luis. A detour bridge at the village of Hicming in the capital town of Virac was destroyed at the storm on Saturday, isolating six villages.
Meanwhile, Senior Supt. Marlo Meneses, chief of the Albay police, said additional policemen were deployed at the Tabaco port to beef up security as the number of stranded passengers continued to rise.
The storm warning signal over Catanduanes has been lowered but gale warning was still enforced in this area, which means sailing and fishing remained prohibited, based on the 11 a.m bulletin of Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
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