Fisherman floats for 12 hours at sea before being rescued

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

GUINOBATAN, Albay – A fisherman from Rapu-Rapu town in Albay province was found floating off the coast of Barcelona town in Sorsorgon early Wednesday after his boat capsized in the sea off Prieto Diaz, also in Sorsogon.

Reynan A. Echagui, 28, decided to abandon his boat when it capsized due to strong waves at around 2 p.m. Tuesday. He floated at sea until he was rescued at 2 a.m. by fisherman Nilo Estrabella.

“He’s a fisherman. He knows what to do, but he said he was nervous,” Senior Inspector Lister Saygo, acting chief of police of Bacelona, said. “When we were talking to him, he was still in state of shock.”

Saygo said that Echagui refused to undergo medical treatment at first but he was feeling well.

Saygo added that strong winds were seen in Barcelona Tuesday, but local fishermen only fished near the shore.

“[Echagui] is from Albay. We have no control over them wherever they want to fish,” Saygo said. By 9 a.m. Wednesday, Echagui was sent home to Rapu-Rapu.

Saygo said that Estrabella would be given a commendation “to encourage other fishermen to rescue anyone in need if the same incident happens.”  SFM