TD ‘Amang’ strands 2,800 passengers in ports

MANILA, Philippines – About 2,800 passengers were stranded in different ports in the Visayas and Mindanao due to inclement weather brought by Tropical Depression “Amang,” the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Monday.

In its tally, the PCG said passengers were stranded in ports in the following areas as of 4 a.m, Monday:

• Central Visayas – 280 passengers

• Northern Mindanao – 354 passengers

• Eastern Visayas – 2,083 passengers

• Southern Visayas – 85 passengers

Aside from passengers, 55 vessels, 423 rolling cargoes, and 10 motorbancas were also stranded.

The weather bureau said that moderate to heavy rain could be expected over Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, and the Bicol Region.

Signal No. 1 has been raised over 9 areas including Eastern Samar, Samar, Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte Eastern Bohol, Northern Cebu, Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands.

Fisherfolk and those with small seacraft were advised not to venture out over the seaboards of areas under Signal No. 1, as well as the northern and western seaboards of Northern Luzon, and the eastern seaboards of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao because of “Amang” and the surge of northeast monsoon.

Amang was last spotted in the vicinity of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, moving northwest with a speed of 10 kilometers per hour (kph).

The tropical depression packs maximum sustained winds of 45 kph and gusts of up to 60 kph. /cbb