2 persons perish in ship fire off Dapitan City

Fire engulfs passenger vessel Lite Ferry 16, about 1.5 nautical miles from Palauan Port in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte, past 1 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28. Photo by Allan Baredo

CEBU CITY –– At least two persons died in the fire that engulfed a passenger ship on Wednesday, Aug. 28, some 1.5 nautical miles from Pulauan Port in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte.

Lt. Junior Grade Cherry Rose Manaay, head of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Dapitan City, said a year-old baby and a 60-year-old perished during the tragedy.

“Probably, they were suffocated because the life jackets were not worn properly,” she told the Inquirer in a phone interview.

The fatalities had yet to be identified.

As of 9 a.m., 102 passengers had been accounted for by the PCG.

“We continue our rescue operations amid the difficult weather condition. We could not yet say how many were missing until we receive (a copy of) the ship manifest,” Manaay said.

Lite Ferry 16, which came from Samboan town in southern Cebu, was just 1.5 nautical miles from Pulauan Port in Dapitan City when it caught fire past 1 a.m. on Wednesday, August 28.

Initial investigation showed that the fire started from the engine room of the passenger vessel.

According to the PCG station in Cebu, the vessel had 137 passengers on board––109 adults, 24 children, and four infants––and 28 vehicles.

Among those rescued were 50 passengers who were picked up by a fast craft that had just left Pulauan port.

Alan Barredo, a passenger of Fast Cat, which was the first to respond to the distress call sent by Lite Ferry 16, said they gave clothes to the passengers who were wet and shaken by the incident.

Barredo said in an interview over Cebu City-based dyLA that they were already sailing for an hour when the vessel received a distress signal from Lite Ferry 16.

Fast Cat immediately turned back to help in the rescue operations.

When they arrived, Barrido said, the ship was on fire, including the vehicles on board.

At least 30 passengers clad in life vests were hurdled at the rear part of the vessel – the only portion that had not yet caught fire.

Barrido said they rescued these passengers as well as those whom they saw floating in the water.

He said it took them four hours to finish the rescue operation because it was too hot.

The crew of Fast Cat also had to take precaution since their vessel could catch fire, especially that explosions could be heard from the ill-fated ship./lzb