Guimaras sea tragedy death toll rises to 17; 14 passengers still missing

ILOILO CITY – Rescuers are scrambling to locate at least 14 missing passengers of three boats that capsized at the Guimaras Strait on Saturday, even as the death toll rose to 17 early Sunday.

At least 55 passengers were rescued as of 730 a.m. Sunday, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Western Visayas.

The motorboats Chi-Chi and Keziah capsized around noon on Saturday after encountering a squall or sudden strong gusts of wind.

The Chi-Chi had 43 passengers and four crew members on board while Keziah had three crew members on board.

Three hours later, another passenger boat, Jenny Vince, with 39 passengers and crew members also capsized.

11 of the fatalities were passengers of the Chi-Chi while the six others were aboard the Jenny Vince.  /gsg